Night and Day
by LadyDixon
Summary: It was just a dream. It had to be. Some kind of nightmare that would soon pass and she would wake up back in the prison, back in her cell where she belonged. Except she knew that it wasn't. It wasn't just some nightmare. It was real. Rated 'M' for future language, violence, and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Thanks for checking out my story. This takes place after the current season (season 3). It may get a little dark at times and there will be mentions of violence and language. I will try to alert you all of those chapters before they occur. This first chapter is a little short and I'm just trying to get a feel for everything so they will get longer after this, I promise. I do ask that if you like what you've read so far then please review it and let me know. Or even if you don't like it, let me know. I'm okay with either. :-) Hopefully, this will draw some interest and it won't bomb. I'll try to update it as frequently as possible, especially if I get lots of reviews. I just love knowing that people are reading and interested in it! I know there are some holes in this chapter that might leave you with questions, but I promise those questions will get answered with time. I plan to take this slow and see where it goes from there...Thanks for reading, hope to hear from you soon!**

* * *

_It was just a dream. It had to be. Some kind of nightmare that would soon pass and she would wake up back in the prison, back in her cell where she belonged. _

_Except she knew that it wasn't. It wasn't just some nightmare. It was __**real.**__ All of the things she had seen, __**heard**__, were real._

_How had this happened? Where had they gone wrong?_

* * *

The moon cast an eerie glow over the forest as he worked his way through the dense trees; his ears alert for any sounds that didn't belong. His hands were sweaty, his grip constantly slipping on his weapon, forcing him to grip it tighter. His shirt clung to his skin, the smell of blood, sweat, and human _flesh_ invading his senses. If circumstances were different, he might have gagged, but they weren't. He didn't have _time_ to think about that. He didn't have time to _think._

Everything had happened so quickly. The last twenty-four hours had been a constant series of events and deaths. So many deaths. He hadn't even been able to stop and think about it long enough to come to terms with it. He was still numb, wondering how everything had gotten so screwed up so quickly. They had a plan. They had practiced. All for nothing. His mind drifted despite his panic. It drifted back to the last time the group had been together.

"_So it's all set then? Everybody understand the plan?" Rick had asked, his face creased with worry._

"_I don't feel good 'bout this. It don't feel right. Somethin's off," Daryl commented._

"_I agree. It feels too fast," Maggie spoke from her seat at the table where they had all gathered. _

_"Maybe we should wait a little longer, Rick. Those people from Woodbury don't have lots of training. This could be a suicide mission," Carol said._

"_If we don't hit them now while we know where they are then we lose the advantage of surprise. This has been a long time coming. It needs to end. I don't know about everyone else, but I can't keep going like this," Glenn said. _

"_We've been training. We're all stronger now than before. If we don't do this now, then we may as well pack up and leave because he won't ever stop," Michonne spoke up quietly. _

"_But we could leave! We could get in our cars now and drive far away. We can save everyone," Beth said, her voice rising slightly. _

"_And what would that solve? There's always going to be a Governor out there somewhere, thinking they can do whatever they want without consequence. This needs to end now, Rick," Glenn said sharply. _

_Rick nodded, his eyes scanning over the group briefly, "Let's do this then."_

* * *

That had been the last time that they had all been together. He could still see all of their faces clearly. He had known it was too soon, known that they should have waited. Ultimately it had been Rick's decision though. It had always been Rick's decision since day one.

Now there was no Rick.

There was no Michonne, Maggie, Glenn, Hershel, Carl, or Carol. He had searched them all out, refusing to leave until everyone had been accounted for. He hadn't seen Beth and Judith. Beth had been in charge of Judith because she was the weakest link and ultimately the only one who could keep the little girl quiet.

But it was over now. It was done. The Governor had been eliminated but it had cost them. It had cost them just about everyone but they had completed their mission and all that remained was a bloody display of bodies being feasted on by the walkers that had been drawn to the noise.

He slowed down to a stop, leaning his head briefly against the trunk of a tree, trying to catch his breath. He had to get his bearings back. He had to make his way over to where Beth hopefully still sat in one of the vehicles, loaded with a weapon and all the food that they had left.

_If_ she was still alive. He might be the only one left.

Wouldn't that be ironic?

He and his brother had first come into the Atlanta group intending to rob them blind and leave them as quickly as they had come. They hadn't cared about any of them. Now those same people, minus a few here and there, had become the only family that he had. Now that he cared, had finally _given a damn_ _about something_, it was taken away from him.

He barked out a harsh laugh, surprised at the hoarseness of his voice, the sound surprising him. If his brother was still alive then he would tell him to man up, to get on with his life. He pushed away from the tree, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his arm. He was sure that it hadn't done much good, he didn't think there was a part of him that wasn't covered in some kind of substance. Casting a glance around to make sure there were no walkers, he set off in the direction of the vehicle that he hoped would still house Beth and Judith.

It took him an hour to make it to the vehicle and he was panting and struggling for breath as he took the last few steps to the passenger door. He collapsed against it, eliciting a startled gasp from inside the suv. He slid down the side of the door, his vision blurring slightly as he tried to get up but couldn't. He vaguely heard a door open and then the girl was bending in front of him, her eyes wide and frantic. He tried to open his mouth to tell her that they were all gone, that he was the only one left, but his lips wouldn't cooperate.

"Daryl, you're bleeding!" She whispered.

He squinted at her. He managed to grunt slightly and she tried to lift him to a standing position. The world around him began to spin and he turned his head to vomit violently on the pavement next to her. He groaned.

"We've got to get you into the car, it's not safe out here," She said, her cold fingers pulling at his useless limbs.

She grunted with her efforts and then decided to pull him away from the door so that she could open it. Once it was open she pulled on him until he was right next to the seat. He tried to help her. He opened his mouth to tell her that he was sorry. He knew she had been expecting others too, like Hershel and Maggie. He had nothing to offer her except a dry rasping noise that seemed to be the only sound he could utter. His body felt numb and his eyes rolled back slightly as she finally maneuvered him into the seat. He lay there blankly and felt the car shake as she got into the driver's seat. Her hand touched his briefly, his eyes flickering to hers.

"It's going to be okay. I've got to get you somewhere safe to stop the bleeding," She said.

Why did she keep saying that he was bleeding? It wasn't his blood that he was covered in. It was the blood of the group. The blood of walkers. It wasn't his blood. She kept shooting panicked glances his way and he tried to tell her that he was fine but the words wouldn't come. He briefly heard the sounds of a baby crying and then her voice telling him to hold on and then his world went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi all! I appreciate the reviews that I've gotten and I'm glad to know that you all are enjoying are story so far. I know this one isn't much longer, but I was pleased with the response, so I decided to crank out another small chapter tonight to thank you all. Again, I thank you, and I hope that you enjoy this one as well.**

* * *

Beth Greene was no doctor.

She had assisted her daddy several times over the years with anything from animals to humans. This was different though; now she was _alone_. Well technically she was, considering Judith wasn't exactly old enough to be of any help. She braced her hands against the steering wheel of the car for several moments as Judith whimpered from the back and Daryl lay passed out in the passenger seat. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm her shaky nerves. She tried not to dwell on the fact that Daryl had come back alone.

She turned to him and tugged gently on his shirt so that she could assess his injuries. He had several cuts on his chest that were oozing some blood but she was relieved to see that none appeared to be life threatening or need stitches. She worked her way around the inside of the vehicle and pushed him forward. Her face fell as she saw that the seat was soaked with blood and she knew that his back must be bad. Slowly, she worked the shirt up and looked at his back. She had to look away a few seconds as she inhaled a shaky breath. She had to keep it together.

His back was a maze of scars, some new and some fresh. One particular gash in his back was raw and bleeding profusely. She figured the loss of all of that blood was why he had passed out. It would need stitches to stop the bleeding. She left him slumped forward on the dash and rummaged around in the back of the suv for some clean cloths and bottled water. In their first aid kit she found the needle and thread that she would need to stitch him back up and she put it up front with her. Judith had thankfully grown quiet, her eyes following Beth's movements. She knew the little girl was probably hungry by now but she hoped she would be distracted long enough for her to stitch Daryl up.

She used the bottled water to wet her cloth and proceeded to wash his back off as best as she could. She was surprised at all of the scars that marred his skin. She had never been close to Daryl and they had only ever exchanged a handful of words since he had first come with the group to their farm. His intensity honestly scared her a little. He always seemed to prefer being a loner, Carol being the only one who had ever been able to hold any kind of conversation with him. As she wiped his back clean, she wondered about his scars. She had just the one scar on her wrist from when she had tried to commit suicide back at the farm. Her little scar seemed minor and insignificant next to all of his. They looked cruelly done and she shivered a little at the agony he must have suffered through in getting them. She had never known that about Daryl and her heart ached for him.

She finished cleaning off his back and took out the tiny needle and thread. This would be the first time she had ever stitched anyone up and she prayed that he would remain passed out while she did it. The last thing she needed was for him to wake up and cause her to jerk the needle further into his skin than necessary. Judith babbled softly from her seat and Beth gave the baby a small smile before turning back to her task. She poured a little peroxide into the cut and hoped that it would be enough to clean it. Holding her breath she pushed the needle through one side of his skin and then hesitated, expecting him to wake up. He remained still and she quickly threaded it through the other side and pulled it as tight as she could get it. She kept having to grab her towel and wipe at the fresh blood that kept oozing from the cut.

She counted fifteen stitches before she finished. It wasn't the best in the world, but it had stopped the bleeding so she hoped it would be enough. She took the peroxide from the kit and cleaned the rest of his wounds carefully, taking her time with each one. She managed to get his shirt off and she rummaged around in the back until she located a simple black shirt. She knew it wasn't Daryl's because it had sleeves but it looked as if it would fit so she maneuvered it onto him and laid him back gently against the seat again.

She dug into Judith's bag and dug around a minute before locating her formula. She mixed up her bottle and handed it to the girl, who grabbed it greedily and began quietly drinking it down. Judith was now big enough to hold her own bottle and Beth had never been more grateful for that.

She glanced out of the window of the suv. It was growing dark and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. Should she leave or was there the possibility that some of the others might come? She didn't really want to leave without knowing what had happened. If she left and one of the others came to this spot looking for her, they wouldn't know where to find her. She decided it was best to stay put for now. She didn't see any walkers milling about and she really wouldn't know where to go anyway. She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that Judith had fallen asleep in her seat, her bottle having fallen onto the seat beside her. Looking at Daryl she saw that he was still really pale and she pressed her fingers to his neck, letting out a relieved breath as she felt his slow pulse. She crawled partially over him and reached between the seat and door to recline the seat back slightly so that he would at least not wake with a crick in his neck. Then she settled back in her seat with a sigh and tried to get some rest while she could.

She had a feeling she might not get the chance later. She was now essentially the leader until Daryl came back. She refused to think that he wouldn't.

* * *

Beth had just drifted off good when Daryl's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Startled, she sat straight up, her chest heaving from the scare. Daryl's eyes were wide and his face clenched in pain before he fell back against the seat. She reached over and tentatively felt his forehead. He was hot to the touch and she grimaced. Turning on the overhead light in the car, she rummaged through the box, hoping for something that might help fight the fever. She felt stupid that she hadn't thought of it before. She might have prevented this altogether if she had. Finally her hands located a bottle of ibuprofen and she shook out the remaining four pills, deciding to give him two now and two again later.

She turned his head towards her a little and gently pushed the pills into his mouth.

"Daryl, if you can hear me, I need you to swallow these pills. I'm going to give you some water. Please don't fight me," She whispered.

He moaned softly but didn't respond. She grabbed her bottle of water and lifted it to his lips, coaxing little bits of water down his throat at a time. He swallowed some so she was pretty sure he got the pills down and she let out a sigh of relief. Taking a napkin, she wet it and wiped his face down with the water, trying to cool him off a little. Finally, having done all that she knew to do, she settled back into her seat to try to sleep again.

"Please don't leave me," She whispered before her eyes closed.

* * *

The next time Beth woke, it was because Judith was beginning to fuss in her seat. She jerked awake, blinking rapidly as her mind tried to remember what was going on. She turned to Daryl and saw that his color was looking a little better. Touching his forehead, she was relieved to discover that he wasn't as hot either. Judith fussed at her again, waving her little arms around and Beth made her way into the back with the little girl.

"It's okay Judith; I'm here. I'm going to get you some food right now, okay?" Her own stomach grumbled in response and she realized that it had been quite a while since she had last eaten.

She fixed Judith's bottle and gave it to the little girl to suck while she changed her diaper. Not having anywhere else to put her with limited space, she placed her back into her seat and began looking for some food for herself. She found a couple of packs of peanut butter crackers and took them back up front with some more water. Her stomach rumbled in appreciation as she ate the crackers. She sipped at the water, trying to decide what to do. Obviously no one else had come back and she knew deep down that they wouldn't. Daryl wasn't the type to leave a fight if there was the chance that any of his own were still alive. Just as she had feared, it had ended badly. Even Daryl had said that he hadn't felt good about it. She wished that they had just packed up and tried to get as far away from there as possible but it was too late now. She wanted to grieve, to cry until she had nothing left, but she knew she couldn't. She couldn't afford to break down, not now. She had to be strong for Judith. Judith was the future, whatever the future might hold.

Daryl groaned from his seat and he tried to move, wincing from obvious pain. She touched his arm softly and felt him jerk in response. She leaned over him and his eyes fluttered open, blue and intense, focusing on her face.

"Daryl?" She whispered.

"They're all dead. Every last one," He muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! First of all I would like to give a BIG thank you to everyone for the totally awesome reviews! I am completely shocked and humbled by all of your wonderful reviews! I didn't have a lot of time to get this out, but I wanted to get out something for you all since you have been showering me with love. I hope to get out another chapter later today so for now, I'll just go ahead and submit this one even though it's not as long as I had wanted it to be. I'm so pleased that you all are enjoying it. I know it's slow-paced right now but it's going to take some time for our beloved characters to come to terms with all that's happened and to get used to being around each other without the buffer of the group around them. Should be interesting...so stick around!**

* * *

_"They're all dead. Every last one."_

Daryl's words echoed through her mind. She swallowed hard over her throat that was now incredibly dry. _Thinking _they were dead and actually _knowing_ it were two very different things. Numbly she set back against her seat. His eyes followed her, his expression unreadable.

"I shouldn'ta blurted it out like that. I jus' thought ya should know. I couldn't save 'em. Was jus' too many..." He trailed off.

She nodded mutely as she focused on a tree off in the distance. The darkness was just beginning to fade as the day slowly came awake. She felt numb. One day had passed and her whole family was wiped from the face of this earth. All that she was left with were a baby that wasn't even hers and a man who had never uttered more than a paragraph to her since the first day they met. What was she supposed to do? How would they protect themselves against walkers or other people if it was just the three of them? How would they protect Judith?

She heard him groaning and he shifted in his seat. "Ya alright?" He asked.

She shook her head no. She didn't trust herself to speak. She just wanted to sit quietly and try to get her feelings under control. She just needed time. Judith began to babble in her seat but Beth barely heard her as she continued to stare straight ahead. She kept telling herself that she wasn't going to break down, that she would keep it all together. She could feel the emotions that she had tried to hold inside last night threaten to come crashing over her. She felt the first trickle of a tear slide down her face and she knew that she had lost the battle.

* * *

Daryl felt like he had been run over by a truck several times. His back was aching and he noticed that he was wearing a different shirt. He noticed all these things because he was trying to avoid looking at the girl next to him who was desperately trying not to cry. He wasn't sure what to do. He supposed he could place the blame on himself because of the way he had just blurted it out to her like he had. He really didn't know what possessed him to come right out and say it. He watched as one lone tear slid down her cheek as she stared out of the windshield of the vehicle. He was completely out of his element.

Glancing around at the floor, he picked up a relatively clean towel and held it out to her. Trembling slightly, she accepted it without looking at him and dabbed at her eyes. He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't do comfort. He really hoped that she could keep it together because he didn't think he was in the best shape to take care of them all but he would do the best that he could.

Then there was Judith. He didn't know much of anything about babies. He could hold them just fine and he knew they drank some kind of formula but beyond that he was lost. The reality of the whole situation struck him. They were _alone_. After everything that had happened, _they_ were the ones who survived. It should have been Rick or somebody else, someone more capable of handling these types of situations. It shouldn't have been he who had survived. Why _was_ he the only one to survive? He had fought alongside of all of them, just as hard as they had. It had been hard to keep up with everyone because of all of the people around. They hadn't anticipated the Governor having more people and it had basically been a massacre. He didn't think himself worthy of being able to walk away from all of that. It felt like somebody's bad idea of a joke.

Daryl Dixon was now left behind with a young girl and a baby. Neither one of who were in any condition to survive without him. Where was he supposed to take them? They couldn't go back to the prison. It was too big for three people to maintain. They would have to find someplace new to settle down. He sat up stiffly in his seat and winced at the soreness that radiated through him. He didn't have time to rest. They had to get somewhere more secure. They were sitting ducks if a herd came through and Judith started crying. They couldn't live in a vehicle.

He pulled a map out of the glove compartment and spread it open on his lap. He pinpointed their location, or what he believed close enough to it, and then began to trace his finger along the routes to other towns. They probably needed to travel quite a way to find somewhere that hadn't been picked over for supplies. He sighed and looked back over to Beth, who had thankfully managed to pull herself together.

He cleared his throat. "We gotta get on tha road. I figure we gon' have ta travel 'bout all day ta find a spot ta bed down in. We still got that full tank of gas right?" He asked. She nodded. "Ya okay ta drive or ya want me ta do it?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm okay. You should rest. Your back was pretty bad," She said softly.

Daryl winced. So she _had _looked at his back. He wondered what she had thought of his other scars. Surely she had to have seen them. They were impossible to hide and he had never let anyone get close enough to see them. He reached his arm gingerly around his back to feel.

"Don't! You've got stitches back there and it needs to heal. You shouldn't try to touch it," She said. "You've got to take it easy for a while."

"Ain't got no time ta take it easy. Too much ta do," He replied.

She reached around into the back and found some toys for Judith to play with. She also handed the little girl some crackers to gum on for the drive. The little girl gave her a toothless grin as she drooled over the cracker. She turned to Daryl, "Now is not the time to be stubborn. If you pull those stitches out, then it will take you that much longer to heal."

"An' who's gonna take care o' us if walkers come? You an' Judith?" He snapped as she pulled the suv onto the road.

She flinched, "I did learn some things while we were training. I don't think I'm _completely_ useless, but thanks for letting me know that you do."

He could hear the hurt in her voce and he felt bad for snapping at her. He knew she must be going through a lot. They were all going through a lot. Only Judith was oblivious to what had happened. The child would never know her dad or brother and all that they had sacrificed for her. She was technically an orphan.

Daryl's head hurt. It was a hell of a situation that they were in for sure. He owed it to the group and to Rick to take care of the two girls though. Rick would have wanted that and he couldn't let himself let Rick down. He swallowed hard as Beth concentrated on driving. Rick had become like a brother to him, filling the void in a way that his brother had never done.

Then there was Carol. After all that she had been through with Ed and then losing Sophia, he had let her down. He had been more comfortable with her than with anyone else. She was the only one he would accept teasing from. She had been his friend, something that he had never had. The faces of the group all haunted him and he felt their deaths weighing heavily on his mind.

"I didn't mean ta say ya was useless," He said suddenly. He watched her grip tighten on the wheel, the only indication that she had heard him. He continued on, "Ya ain't useless. I'm jus' lashing out at ya an' I shouldn't have."

"Thanks," She replied softly.

He nodded. "I s'pose we all got some adjustments ta make since we our own lil' group now."

"I suppose that we do," She agreed.

"First things first. We get somewhere safe. Somewhere stable. Then we work on trainin' ya," He said.

She bit down on her lip. "I'll do the best that I can," She paused. "I'm really sorry that you're stuck with us," Her lip trembled and his hand shot out to grab the wheel as she lost control of the vehicle slightly.

"Maybe ya should pull over an' let me drive," He suggested softly.

She nodded and came to stop, stepping out of the vehicle and trading places with him. It took him a few minutes to get his body to cooperate and make it to the driver's seat. He felt a little light-headed and he stood a moment by the door, trying to stop the dizzy feeling that had come over him. After several seconds and deep breaths, he eased into the seat and began to drive. His whole body was protesting even the smallest movements such as navigating the steering wheel but he overlooked them. After several minutes of silence he glanced around the vehicle to find them both sleeping, Judith with her mouth slightly open, drool dribbling down her chin and Beth curled up in a ball on her seat. Even though Beth's eyes were closed, he could still see the exhaustion in them.

He sighed. This was their life now. He just hoped they could figure out a way to make it work.


	4. Chapter 4

**Did I mention how incredibly AWESOME you all are?! Your reviews have me smiling like the Chesire Cat right now. I'm total digging them. I worked hard on making this chapter longer for you all because I wanted to thank you in some way and I promised you all another chapter, right? So here it is! I thank you all from the bottom of my soul! :-)**

* * *

By the clock on the dash he knew they had been traveling for three hours already. The clock wasn't accurate because it read that it was seven and Daryl knew it was neither early enough nor late enough to be seven. They had stopped twice. Once to use the bathroom and once to change Judith's diaper. Now Beth was sitting in the back next to Judith, trying to entertain her.

They had just driven through a small town that Daryl had slowed down to study as they passed. So far, nothing seemed suspicious and he had seen no sign of people. There had been walkers but so far he had been able to navigate the suv around them and if all else failed, he bumped them out of the way with the suv.

He had located his bow the second time they had stopped. He was feeling much better now that it was resting on the floor between the front seats within reach. He had felt naked leaving it when they had stormed into the Governor's camp but he had figured that his knife would be better overall for hand to hand combat. He briefly wondered if having his bow might have made a difference and then he dismissed the idea. One bow wouldn't have managed to keep everything that had occurred from happening.

Beth had given him the last two Ibuprofen she said that she had but it had done little to ease his pain. He needed to find them a place to secure for the night while there was still plenty of daylight left. He wasn't feeling one hundred percent and he needed to allow himself the extra time just in case. He knew he would ache later from sleeping and sitting in the car all day. He slowed to a crawl again as they drove just outside of town.

One house in particular stuck out to him because it had a large wooden privacy fence around it and it was brick. Brick was sturdy. He could also strengthen the fence up some to keep walkers out of the yard. He stopped just in the driveway. The fence was open and he didn't know what to expect.

"Are we staying here?" Beth asked from the backseat.

"Thinkin' 'bout it. I'm gonna pull up some, looks like there's 'nough room ta pull tha car in an' shut tha gate back. Ya gotta knife?" His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. He could see her nervousness reflected in them. She nodded. "Good. Gotta leave Jude in tha car an' I need ya ta cover me. Ya think ya can do that?"

Her eyes flicked towards the house and then back to meet Daryl's in the mirror once again. "I can do it," She said softly.

His eyes lingered on hers several moments more before he looked away. He had no idea how well this was going to work but he also knew that he wasn't in the best of shape to carry out the task on his own. At least she had had the training back at the prison before they had left.

He pressed the gas and eased the vehicle up enough so that there was room to close the fence. He was uneasy about closing them in there essentially, but he also didn't want other walkers to come wandering inside the fence while they were trying to clear it. He cut off the vehicle and got out to close the fence, grunting slightly as his muscles protested. Reaching back inside, he grabbed his bow and his gaze met hers.

"Ready?" He asked.

She nodded and pressed a soft kiss to Judith's forehead. Giving the little girl a favorite stuffed animal to play with, they shut her inside of the vehicle. Daryl had to hand it to the kid; she didn't cry one time as they shut her inside. He was thankful that she was such a good baby.

His arms shook slightly as he held the bow. His arms were tired and sore and the bow felt as if it weighed three times its normal weight. Motioning for Beth to follow, they made their way around the house. Daryl saw that the house itself wasn't relatively big and that was a plus. The smaller the house, the less rooms where things could hide. He noticed that there was a chimney on top and he made note to look to see if there was a fireplace inside. Sometimes people had them removed for certain reasons. He paused at the first corner and tried not to groan as he felt Beth run into him from behind. She touched his shoulder lightly.

"Sorry," She breathed near his ear.

He flinched from her touch but ignored it and kept going. They crossed into the back and Daryl saw that they had a clothesline strung up across the yard. There wasn't a porch on the back, only three steps leading up to a back door. As they rounded the last corner, he stopped abruptly at the sight of two walkers. Beth's gasp had them turning toward them before Daryl could take the shot. Although his arms were on fire raising the bow at that angle, he managed to fire off the two shots it took to take them down. He walked over and snatched his bolts back from their heads, the action making a disgusting sucking sound. He wiped the walker guts on his pants and then looked at Beth who was looking sheepishly down at her shoes.

"Let's check out tha house, come on," He gestured tiredly.

She looked up at him and hurried to catch up. "Are you mad?"

He paused. "Don't reckon' I am. I know ya ain't meant ta make a sound. It's been a long day an' I'm jus' ready ta rest," He replied and then kept on walking towards the front door.

"I'm really sorry Daryl. I'll do whatever training you think is necessary," She said as he gripped the doorknob in his hand.

He nodded once and then slowly pushed the door open. The smell was the first thing to hit him. He took a step back to take several big gulps of fresh air. He noticed Beth doing the same.

"Son of a bitch," He muttered under his breath. It smelled like something once living had died in there and been stuck in there for a long time. He stepped over the threshold and into the living room. He scanned the area, feeling relieved to find it walker free. He slowly edged his way around the couch and peered around the corner into the kitchen. Also empty. He backtracked a little and glanced back to make sure Beth was still doing okay. She held her knife in shaky hands but appeared to be holding it together as well as could be expected. The only thing left to check were the rooms down the small hallway. He saw four doors and the first door that he opened revealed a linen closet and he shut it back. Stopping at the second door, he turned the knob and found himself facing the bathroom. The shower curtain was open and he could see that it was unoccupied. As soon as he reached the third door, the smell grew more intense and he knew that whatever the cause of the smell was in that room. He looked over his shoulder at Beth.

"Jus' stand outside tha hallway. Don't know what's in this room. Smells kinda strong," He told her.

She stepped back with a slight nod and he held his breath once again as he opened the door. The first thing his eyes landed on where bright red words scrawled across the wall above the bed. It read: _May God Have Mercy On Our Souls_. He immediately knew why when his eyes drifted down to the bed that held the two bodies. There was some type of dried blood and brain matter splattered over the bed and part of the wall. One of their hands still clenched around a gun and Daryl averted his eyes as he walked over to the bed. He gently pried the stiff fingers from the gun and pocketed it. It might come in handy later and he couldn't afford to leave it. He also knew that if they were going to stay in this place for possibly several days then they would need to remove the bodies from the house. He exited the room again and checked in the last room. It was relatively undisturbed and there was no sign of anyone or anything. He finally let himself relax slightly.

"I need ya help. Got two bodies we need ta drag out from that room. Smell won't go away til' we get 'em removed," He said to Beth.

"Alright. Let's do it," She replied.

He nodded and they went back to the room where he tossed the sheet over the tops of the bodies before she could get a good look. There was no reason for anyone else to have to suffer through seeing that. He shouldered his bow and with Beth's help, they managed to roll them into the sheet and drag them down the hall. They drug them out the front door and through the fence to the outside before he had to stop. His hands were trembling and he was sweating profusely. Beth glanced at him with concern as she shut the gate back when they walked back inside.

"Daryl?" She asked. "You need to go sit down. I can get Judith and our things from the car," She said.

He nodded numbly. He really _did_ need to sit down. His vision was blurry and he barely made it up the steps into the house before he fell forward onto the couch and passed out again.

* * *

Beth managed to get Judith and several of the things she figured they would need into the house by herself. The sun was beginning to sink towards the horizon and she knew she needed to find some kind of light to see by. They had several flashlights but that wouldn't be near enough. So she spread a blanket out on the floor for Judith with several of her toys to occupy her before getting to work. First she searched in the spare bedroom. She managed to find several candles that looked as if they had primarily been used for decoration so she took those into the living room. Then she grabbed all of the spare blankets that she could find and covered the windows in the kitchen and living room to block out the light. She checked the doors to make sure they were locked and then realized that she could barely see now that she had the light blocked out. Crossing back into the living room, she bent down by Daryl's slumped form on the couch. She knew he kept a lighter on him always for his cigarettes. She didn't exactly relish the idea though, of digging through his pockets to find it. He was a very private person and she didn't want him waking up to find her hands all over him. It was different if she was tending to his wounds. Then she had a valid reason for trespassing. She somehow didn't feel like finding a lighter was a valid reason. Carefully she glided her fingers over his pants. He shifted slightly and her fingers grazed his zipper. She quickly pulled her hand back, embarrassed that she had touched him there. After several minutes, she fumbled again and finally managed to locate the lighter in the first pocket she checked. Blowing out her breath, she lit the candles and welcomed the light and warmth that they brought to the room.

Judith smiled up at her from her position on the blanket and she scooped the little girl up to go see what she could find for them to eat. The cabinets still had several cans of food in them and she was surprised to find a couple of jugs of purified water as well. She set all of the cans out on the counter and selected two cans of soup and a can of fruit. She could fee some of the broth and juice to Judith as well. Balancing the girl on her hip, she set her back on the floor and made several funny faces at her before moving to Daryl. She knew he had overdone it and she dreaded seeing the stitches she had made. She worked to get him rolled onto his side and then she tentatively raised his shirt to look at the stitches. Surprisingly, he had only managed to pull out a few of them and there were a few drops of blood on his back. The area was a little more red than she would have liked and she took the peroxide from the kit and cleaned the area again, hoping that it wasn't starting to get infected. She held the needle over the flame to sterilize it and then made three new stitches to seal him back up. She wasn't sure why but she suddenly ran her fingers lightly over his scars. It was almost as if she was feeling his pain as she touched each one. Realizing how awkward it would be for him to wake up to her doing that, she pulled his shirt back down and moved away.

She removed his boots and covered him with a sheet. Then she set to work on fixing something for her and Judith to eat while she waited on Daryl to come back to her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone! Sorry I didn't get to post yesterday! I'm afraid it's not as long as I would have liked it to be tonight but my time is just very limited at the moment. I am hopefully going to get something longer for you all tomorrow. I'm glad to hear that everyone is liking it so far! That means so much! There's mention of violence in this chapter so if that bothers you, you may not want to read. I just don't want anyone to be surprised. I should probably mention that there will be bits and pieces of it all throughout this fic so just be prepared. This isn't supposed to be a lighthearted fic but it's not going to be all dark either so take that as you will. That being said, I hope you enjoy and please review. Thanks**

* * *

The sound of Daryl mumbling woke Beth up sometime during the night. She had finally managed to drift off to sleep on the floor next to Judith, having tossed and turned for a while. It was incredibly quiet here and she longed for the prison again, for the family that she had lost. She sat up when she heard him mumble. She saw him twitch and then he sat up straight on the couch. He rubbed his face and looked around, his gaze finally falling on her and Judith.

She had only left one candle lit so it was still relatively dark in the room. She sat up and stared at him over the dancing flame. She wasn't sure if he was having some sort of dream or if he was awake until he winced and grabbed at his back as he turned to put his feet on the floor. She checked on Judith to make sure the girl was still sleeping. Then she stood up to make her way over to him. Except she misjudged the corner of the coffee table and the piece that conveniently jutted out there. She tripped over it and flailed about for something to grab onto as she tried to regain her balance. It was no use however and she came tumbling down halfway on top of Daryl who didn't have any time to react to the whole situation.

Strong arms encircled her waist and slowly pushed her back up until she was steady on her feet again. Her face burned in embarassment.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" She asked softly.

In the dim light, she saw him nod, "I'm fine. No worse off than I was a few minutes ago I think," He said.

"We had soup for dinner. Are you hungry? Do you want me to fix you something to eat?" She knew she was firing off questions left and right but she really wanted to make it up to him.

"I really want ta get off this damn couch. Jus' point me in tha direction of tha food," He said.

"It's in the kitchen on the counter. I'll light another candle and walk with you," She said quickly.

He didn't say anything and instead stood up slowly and made his way into the kitchen with the light of her candle leading the way. She set the candle on the counter and went to work opening the soup. He leaned against the counter, watching her as she grabbed a spoon. There were really no need for bowls for the soup. It was just as good out of a can these days. The silence was thick as she waited while he ate.

"Ain't gotta stay in 'ere an' babysit me ya know," He grumbled.

"That's not what I'm doing. I just...I can't sleep," She admitted.

His eyes flicked up to hers and she saw a flicker of pain reflected in them that disappeared quickly. He finished eating his soup and then accepted the bottle of water that she held out to him. He sighed as he drank down half of the bottle before stopping.

"Hate feelin' useless," He admitted.

The comment surprised her. She had never once thought of Daryl Dixon as useless. He always seemed nearly invincible back at the prison. He was always the one who managed to pull everyone through tough situations. He was almost like their guardian angel in a way.

"You're not useless," She protested.

He snorted, "I appreciate tha vote o' confidence kid, but I ain't superman," He said.

The term _kid_, really got under her belt. "I'm not a kid you know," She said softly.

"Yer only like what? Sixteen?" He asked.

Beth scoffed, "Hardly! I'm eighteen, thank you. You're only like what? _Forty_?" She retorted.

He surprised her by smiling slightly. "Close 'nough. Tha way ya wear yer hair like that makes ya look younger than eighteen," He commented.

She blushed, but noticed he didn't offer up his own age. "I've always worn my hair pulled back," She said. "It's easier that way."

He fiddled with the now empty water bottle and then reached into his pocket for a cigarette. He took a long draw from it and then used his free hand to rub his back gently. "Sorry I passed out on ya again. Guess I overdid it...I tear out any stitches?" He asked.

She nodded, "Three. Not too bad. The area was a little redder than I would like so we're going to have to keep a close eye on it," She said. This might be the first decent conversation she had ever had with the man. He didn't seem quite so bad as she had originally thought. She fiddled with her shirt for a moment. "Those scars on your back. How di-"

"They bother ya?" He snapped, his voice eerily quiet.

She shook her head quickly, "No! It's just that I have a scar too and I just didn't know where yours had come from," She offered lamely. She wished she had kept her mouth shut. Sometimes she didn't know what came over her.

"My old man used ta beat me. He'd take his belt, knife, whatever was handy at tha time an' torture me with it. That what ya wanna hear? Ya wanna hear how messed up I am 'cause of it?" He moved closer to her, his cigarette now finished. She backed across the room, her eyes wide. "Ya wanna hear how I ain't like nobody touchin' me 'cause it reminds me o' him? That tha shit ya curious 'bout? Ya ever heard tha sayin', c_uriosity killed tha cat_?" He stopped inches from her face. His eyes drifted down to her scar on her wrist and then back up to her face. "Ya think that little scar on yer wrist means somethin'? Ya think jus' 'cause it's there, that we got something' in common?" He asked harshly.

She didn't reply. She was speechless. He turned on his heel, his eyes cold and hard and stalked back into the living room, leaving her all alone in the kitchen.

She felt herself shiver slightly and then the beginnings of tears in her eyes. She hadn't known that the scars were a sensitive subject. She never imagined that he could have experienced something so horrifying in his youth. He always seemed so untouchable, like nothing ever really fazed him. He just didn't seem the type to cower from anyone. She could imagine that he was pissed at her now which was just great because she really didn't want that kind of tension between them. She had almost thought that they might have something in common that they could build a friendship on, but she supposed that she had been wrong. She sighed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

Daryl lay there fuming silently. He knew he had been harsh on her and probably hurt her feelings too judging from the tears forming in her eyes as he had left the room. He just couldn't believe that she would be so naïve as to think that her _one _scar could even begin to compare to the dozen or so that marred his body.

So she had had a moment of weakness and decided to off herself. That wasn't his problem. He had spent the better part of his childhood and then some getting beaten to a bloody pulp by some asshole who had thought he was a father but was really no more than a sperm donor. And she thought she could sympathize? He couldn't believe her audacity. No one e_ver_ asked him about his scars, e_ver_.

He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. He was bruised and hurting but it wasn't just physically. He was hurting on the inside too, though he would never admit it. He didn't want to be the only one to survive in the group besides her and Judith. Why just him? What about Carl? The kid had his whole life ahead of him; he could have actually made a difference in this world. But no, it had been him and he didn't understand it one bit.

He hadn't even been the one to kill the Governor. He didn't know who had accomplished that task. There had been so much blood spilled and then the bombing had started. He could still remember ducking behind a car as he tried to jump out of the way of the blast. He was sure that had killed more people but he didn't know whom. The only thing he knew was that he had killed everyone he hadn't recognized as part of their group upon contact.

Then when it had been over he couldn't believe the bodies. He had walked around checking for his group, trying to make sure he didn't leave behind any survivors. It had taken him a while to comb through all of the bodies. They were everywhere and the walkers had just kept pouring in. He hadn't thought he was going to make it. That's when he had taken off through the woods, trying to run as fast as he could to get away.

He heard the girl sniffle and he flinched. He hadn't meant to take his aggression out on her. She hadn't known. No one knew what Daryl had suffered through in his lifetime, the wounds that he carried with him, on the inside as much as the outside. He felt bad that he hadn't been able to bring her family back and he knew that she would begin to resent him because he had come back and the others hadn't. It was only a matter of time.

He was a broken, scarred, excuse for a man and yet he had been the one to survive. If there was a God, he surely had played a cruel joke on him. Daryl Dixon wasn't someone you bet on. He was just an average guy with a crossbow who had happened to save a few people here and there. Nothing more.

* * *

**Just a little note here: Keep in mind that Daryl and Beth have both been through a lot. Although Beth wasn't actually in the thick of things, she was left behind to wait and she didn't know if anyone would be coming back. Daryl has been through a great deal more and is just lashing out to disguise the pain he is feeling. The group had been like a family to him and it's hurting him deep down. As usual for Daryl, he kind of feels like he has let our Beth down and it's not sitting well with him. So just give him time before you judge him for going off on her. I promise it will get better eventually! :-)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it's taken a couple of days for me to update! I had a lot going on and I apologize. I enjoyed reading all of your comments and you all make me feel so great that you are enjoying it! Again, I'm trying to keep this a slow burn so just bear with me! I hope you enjoy and I hope to update sooner next time. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! ;)**

* * *

When Daryl woke the next morning he felt moderately better. His back wasn't as stiff and his muscles, although still sore, didn't hurt quite as bad as before. All in all, he considered himself lucky that he was even alive at this point. He sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His gaze landed on the floor where Beth and Judith had slept.

They weren't there.

He stood up, a bit too quickly and then had to sit back down as his head started spinning. He had done it. He had lost them already. For some reason, the thought terrified him. Then he heard it. Her soft laughter coming from down the hallway. He stood up once his head stopped spinning and made his way down the hall. Beth had Judith lying on the bed in the empty room and was currently playing peek-a-boo with the little girl. He could see Judith's smile from his position in the doorway. He leaned there for several moments, watching the two of them.

Finally Beth's eyes flickered up and their eyes met. She quickly looked away, abandoning their game. He felt like a jerk. He knew he was going to have to make it up to her somehow but he didn't know how. He had never been good with apologies of any kind, _ever_. He hadn't ever really cared who's feelings he hurt, but this was different. It hadn't ever been just him and two females before. He hadn't ever had to take care of two people on his own. He wasn't really sure how to handle it.

He cleared his throat, "'Bout last night," He began.

Beth shook her head, "It's okay. I was out of line. I'm sorry. Sometimes my curiousity gets the better of me and I should have kept my mouth shut," She said.

Daryl sighed, "It ain't okay. I shouldn't have went off on ya like that. I ain't used ta...ta bein' in this kind o' situation," He said.

She scooped up Judith and came around the bed to where he was standing, "I understand Daryl. You like your space. I get it." She ducked underneath the arm he had propped against the doorframe and disappeared down the hallway.

He stood there for a few more minutes and then made his way over to the kitchen. He grabbed a can of peaches and popped the top, plucking one into his mouth. He could hear her in the living room, talking to Judith, but he couldn't make out what she was saying.

He really wanted to get out and hunt but he wasn't sure he was quite up to par to be going out yet. If it were just him, he wouldn't care but he couldn't risk it in their current situation. He finished his peaches and drank the juice, contemplating. Maybe he could teach her some things today. He figured he could at least handle that.

He walked back into the living room and she held a finger to her lips to signal that Judith was asleep. He nodded and then jerked his head towards the kitchen and she followed him in there.

He pushed the small kitchen table out of the way, "Ya need ta learn some things," He said. "I may have ta leave you two alone from time ta time ta hunt an' I need ta know that ya can take care of yourselves."

She nodded but didn't meet his eyes, "Okay."

He could still see the hurt reflected in her eyes but there was nothing more he knew to do about it. He wasn't used to dealing with females. If it were just him and Merle, they would take their frustrations out with their fists, but she wasn't Merle and he didn't hit women. He would try to be nicer to her and maybe she would relax a little.

"Ya got that knife still?"

She nodded and reached into the waist of her jeans to pull it out. He crossed over to her and began showing her several different techniques she could use to stab walkers and then he set it to the side. "Knives are pretty basic. Ya also need ta know hand ta hand in case we run into some bad people," He commented.

"Like the Governor?" She asked softly.

He paused and then nodded, "Yeah. Like him."

He ran her through a series of drills, testing her knowledge and speed on each one until he felt his back and shoulders begin to throb painfully. He hunched over and groaned. He was so frustrated with his injuries. Granted he had been through much worse but this just felt different. Maybe it was all of the stress he felt combined with the loss of everyone that was making him feel this way.

He pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down, ignoring Beth's look of concern. He felt her walk up to him and he tensed, an automatic reaction even after so many years.

She touched his shoulder softly, "I can help it feel better if you let me," She said.

He clenched his jaw. Part of him wanted to tell her yes because he had never had a massage and he wanted to know if it felt as good as people said. The other part of him was screaming no because he didn't want her to touch him, to be touched period. But he knew that if he turned her down, then she would take it personally and he was hoping they could resolve their issue from last night. So he nodded his head and she placed both of her hands on his shoulders.

* * *

Beth could see that he was fighting with himself over her offer of a massage and for a moment, she really thought he was going to refuse. Then he nodded his head slightly and she knew that he was trying to put forth an effort to make up for last night even though it hadn't been all his fault. She could feel the tension radiating through his body as she placed her hands on his shoulders. She kneaded her fingers into his flesh gently and saw his head drop slightly but he remained silent.

She could feel all of the muscles bunched and rigid in his back. She hadn't ever paid much attention to Daryl's muscles before. Actually, she hadn't ever realized he _had _any. Her thoughts had just never drifted in that direction with so many other people around. Now that she could feel them shifting beneath her fingers she started to see him as more than just a man that had been a part of their group. Even though he hadn't told her how old he was, she was going to assume that he wasn't over forty. There was no way a man over forty looked and felt like he did.

Not that she would know anything about that. Her experience was limited to her encounters with Jimmy on the farm. Jimmy's shoulders hadn't ever felt _anything _like this. Jimmy had still been a young boy, still growing. Daryl was all man and completely grown. She swallowed and tried to shift her thoughts. It wouldn't do for her to start thinking of him in that way. She saw the way he flinched from the slightest show of affection or touch. He was broken and she of all people didn't know how to fix him. She was thoroughly shocked that he was even allowing her to do this. She realized how sore he must be to go to this extent and her heart ached for him.

Slowly she inched her hands down his back, mindful of the stitches and kneaded the knotted flesh. Her hands encountered a particularly tense spot and she focused on it, working out the tension with her small fingers. He let out a low guttural moan and his head drooped forward a little more before he jerked it back up quickly. The sound cut through her bones. His voice already had a rough raspy sound to it and to hear him make that noise...it did something to her.

She finished working out the knot and then moved back up to his neck, gliding her fingers over the skin for any more tension. Her fingers slid over his side and he jerked slightly, his body sitting erect again. He twisted in the seat and stood, causing her hands to fall away from his back.

He looked skittish and he didn't meet her eyes, "That feels lots better, thanks," He said gruffly. He turned on his heel and left the room without another word, leaving her standing there staring after him.

* * *

Daryl tried to get his shaking hands under control. He hadn't expected the touch to make him react like that. He knew he had problems with being touched that stemmed from his abusive childhood but this had been slightly different. The way she had worked his muscles so gently, so _firmly_, had felt good. It had felt _better_ than good and to his shame his body had responded to that touch.

He had jerked to attention the moment he felt other parts of him start to do the same. He had needed to get away. He slipped outside the house after grabbing his bow and began walking the perimeter. He tried not to think about how much better his back felt, how it hadn't felt this good in so long that he couldn't even remember what this felt like.

The last thing he needed was to start feeling something for the girl. He was significantly older than her, pushing forty and it wasn't appropriate. It didn't matter that there wasn't anyone around to _tell_ him that it wasn't. He just wouldn't do it. He had morals, even if they were slightly skewed. Hershel would roll over in his grave if he knew that Daryl was even thinking about her running her hands over his _naked_ flesh.

He groaned, "Fuckin' perv, jus' like Merle," He muttered to himself.

He strolled around the entire house, trying to focus on any weak areas. Everything looked to be in pretty decent condition so far and he didn't know what else to do. He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and sat down on the back steps to smoke. Taking a long drag, he inhaled the nicotine into his lungs and sighed deeply. He really needed to kick this habit but he just couldn't find it in him to care. No one gave a shit about things such as cancer and aids when there were suddenly bigger, more prominent, worries to be faced with. These days you would be _lucky_ if you died from something as simple as cancer. It had to be a hell of a lot better way to go than getting chunks of flesh bitten out of you by some twisted version of a human being.

He sighed deeply. He just had to sit out here for a bit until parts of him cooled down and he got himself under control again. The last thing he needed was to lose control with her. It wouldn't end well for either of them. She needed affection and tenderness and those just weren't words in Daryl Dixon's vocabularly.


	7. Chapter 7

**You guys ROCK! I'm so excited at the response this story has gotten! You have no idea. This chapter is a little intense...more notes to follow at the end.**

* * *

It had been one week since they had been at the small house now. One week. Daryl was starting to feel like his old self again and he was relieved. Things between he and Beth had been a little tense but it wasn't unbearable. He knew he was going to have to make a run today. They had one can of green beans and that was hardly a meal. He had been up for a bit, smoking a cigarette on the front porch and waiting for her to wake up. There had been a couple of walkers at the fence this morning but he had taken care of them with his knife.

He had practiced with the girl every afternoon since the first time. She was much improved from what she had been before, but she still needed work. Daryl hadn't realized quite how sheltered she had been at the prison. That needed to change. Things could go sour at any time and he needed to know that she would have his back or, under extreme circumstances, at least be able to take care of Judith.

He didn't really want to leave them today but he knew it was better for them if they stayed behind. He wasn't as sore anymore and Beth had said that his stitches had looked a lot better. They were beginning to itch and she told him that they would be ready to come out soon. He could do this run on his own a lot quicker than if he had the two of them. Maybe if it had just been the two of them he could take her, but he wouldn't risk Judith like that.

Judith was his last tie to his best friend. He felt an obligation to the girl. He would make sure that whatever happened, she knew who her father was and that he had loved her. He missed his buddy Rick. He was finally really beginning to understand the overwhelming responsibility that he must have felt being in charge of making all the decisions. Daryl had only been doing it a week and he already felt as if he wasn't doing it right.

The door behind him opened and he scooted over on the steps to make room for Beth. She sat down next to him on the steps, her expression letting him know that she hadn't been awake long.

"We've got one can of green beans left," She commented.

Daryl nodded, stubbing out his cigarette, "Yeah. I know. I've got ta go out for supplies today. Do ya think ya can handle it?" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

She nodded, "I think we should be okay. We'll stay inside of course. How long do you think you will be gone?"

He sighed and stretched his legs out over the steps, "'Bout all day I reckon', unless I find something the first couple of stops."

She leaned her elbows onto her knees and rubbed her temples, "Daryl?"

"Hm?"

She sucked in a deep breath, "I know this isn't your ideal situation and I know you don't have to be here, but you're coming back right?"

He looked at her and frowned, "Course I'm comin' back. I ain't leavin' you two. Jesus," He muttered.

She blushed, "It's just...I know we slow you down and I know you could move much faster on your own. Just please come back safe. I don't think I can take care of Judith on my own. I...I miss the group," She finished.

He nodded his agreement. She looked like she was about to cry and he started to panic a little. He didn't want to leave her when she was on the edge of a breakdown. On impulse, he reached down and squeezed her hand quickly and gently. She glanced up at him, startled and he met her eyes.

"I'm comin' back, alright? I need ya ta keep yer shit together," He said firmly.

She stared at him for several seconds and the nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Yeah. I can do it. We'll be fine," She replied.

"Good. I'm headin' out then. Judith is goin' ta want more'n green beans for dinner," He paused as he stood. "Keep tha doors locked an' keep ya knife on ya at all times."

"I promise," She replied.

He stepped inside and grabbed his crossbow, his eyes briefly landing on Judith who was asleep on the floor in the little bed that Beth had made for her. The little girl was growing so fast. She was still a little baby but Daryl knew it wouldn't be long before she started crawling and then walking. He didn't know a lot about babies but he had been around a few and they had always seemed to grow so fast. His gaze flicked to the door and then he strode silently over to her. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Her little lips were forming a round _O_ as she breathed in and out.

"I'll be back for ya both, okay? Be a good girl Jude," He whispered softly.

The little girl sighed in her sleep and Daryl backed his way out of the living room silently. Beth stood up on the porch as he came back out. He didn't really know what to say to her so he stood there awkwardly.

"Ya know how ta crank tha car right? Just in case ya have ta leave?" He asked.

She nodded, "Just touch the wires together, right?"

He let out a breath. She had been observing him more than he had thought. Maybe none of them had been giving her enough credit.

"That's right. If somethin' comes up, take tha car and haul ass. Meet back 'ere at dark," He said.

She crossed her arms, her expression tense, "Okay. See you later," She said.

He tipped his head at her and headed over to the gate, "Later then. Lock tha door. Don't do anythin' ta draw attention to ya," He called over his shoulder.

He let himself out of the gate and then waited until he heard her go inside and shut the door. He made his way down the sidewalk, keeping an eye out for walkers. His mind was on the two females in the house though. He didn't feel right leaving them, but what other choice did he have? They were out of food and this would be much safer without them. He just hoped that they were safe enough and that he could keep himself safe enough so that he would make it back unharmed. He wasn't a religious man so he didn't pray but he did cross his fingers for luck. Everyone could use a little luck in their life.

* * *

Beth and Judith spent the morning trying to entertain themselves. She fixed Judith a bottle of formula and hoped it would hold her over for a bit. The little girl had a few teeth in her mouth and she could eat soft foods pretty good, but Beth knew she wouldn't eat green beans. She was accustomed to eating a little with her bottles though so Beth was relieved when the bottle seemed to pacify her. Beth herself didn't relish the thought of eating the green beans either, but she knew she would by the end of the day if she got hungry enough and Daryl hadn't returned yet.

Beth located some books in the back room that didn't exactly look entertaining but considering the alternative of doing nothing, she decided to read to the girl. She was careful to avoid the room where they had removed the bodies from, not wanting to see that writing on the wall. It reminded her of something out of some kind of horror movie. She laid Judith down on the bed beside her, placing a pillow on the other side so that the little girl wouldn't roll off and she settled back on the bed herself to read. The book wasn't really interesting, something about a war that she was half paying attention to. She basically just read the words aloud for Judith, her thoughts elsewhere.

Sometime later she awoke to Judith's soft cries and jumped up from the bed, a little disoriented. She picked the girl up, trying to calm her and realized that she had slept until late afternoon judging by the amount of light streaming through the window. The bed was slightly more comfortable to sleep on than their pallet on the floor and that must have been what put her to sleep. Finally she got the little girl to calm a bit by singing to her softly when she heard a noise. A single footstep.

She froze, instantly alert, her eyes wide. She was on the other side of the bed, far from the open door. She felt around for the knife clipped to her jeans and gripped it tightly in one hand, Judith in the other. She knew if she placed the little girl down, she would cry again, possibly attracting more attention to themselves. So she stood, frozen in place, staring at the open doorway, her heart pounding. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, maybe five minutes she guessed before she started to feel like she had imagined the sound. Still, she wasn't quite calm enough to move yet.

She took several deep breaths to calm herself. Then she heard it again. Several quick footsteps this time and her heart thudded so hard in her chest she was sure it would burst through her skin and drop to the floor. No walkers she had ever heard made sounds like that. Their sounds were distinct, more like a shuffling than a step. Seconds later a man appeared in the doorway, a handgun in his hand. Beth cuddled Judith protectively to her chest. _How would she protect them with a knife when the man had a gun?_ A woman appeared in the doorway behind the man and she gasped, her eyes going to Judith.

"Well, well, lookie here. Got us a woman and a _baby_," The man drawled.

"What do you want?" Beth asked shakily. The man looked over at the woman and Beth wondered what kind of silent communication passed between them.

"My wife here wants that there pretty baby you're holding," The man gestured at Judith with his gun.

Beth's grip on the little girl tightened, "No. Y..You can't take her," She stuttered.

The man frowned, "Oh but I think I can. You see I'm the one holding the gun and all you got is that little knife there," He gestured at the knife. "I don't think you want the little thing harmed, now do you?"

Beth felt hot tears pouring down her cheeks, "Please. She doesn't know you. I'm all she's got left; take me too," Beth pleaded. She wasn't sure how Daryl would find them but she thought Judith had a better chance if she was there with her.

The man seemed to consider it for a moment, his eyes traveling down her body, until the woman nudged him, "No. Just the baby," The woman finally spoke.

Beth studied the couple. They weren't very old, maybe in their thirties and they seemed to be clean enough, indicating that maybe they had a camp or something nearby.

"Please don't take her! You're welcome to anything else we have but don't take her!" Beth cried.

The woman snorted, "We already checked the place. You have one can of food. What else could we possibly take? I want the baby. Give her to me," The woman insisted.

Beth clutched Judith in her arms. The little girl's eyes were open and trusting and it broke Beth's heart. "What are you going to do to her?" Beth asked.

"We lost our baby. My wife Anna, wants another one and yours seems pretty good. Babies ain't easy to come by nowadays. You'll be better off without her. She'll slow you down. We can take better care of her, right Anna?" The man asked his wife.

Anna nodded, "Let me see her," She started to cross over to the baby, but Beth held out her knife.

"Don't. Please don't do this," She tried again.

The man rolled his eyes and fired a shot into the air. The sound ricocheted through the house as pieces of sheet rock fell around his head. "I ain't playing no more lady. Now I don't want to hurt ya, but you ain't making this easy," He said.

Anna walked up to Beth and Beth pressed her shaking lips to the baby's forehead softly, "Do you have a group?" She asked Anna.

Anna smiled, "Nice try, but you know enough already. I don't want you coming and trying to steal her back. What's her name?" She asked as she grabbed Judith from Beth's arms.

Beth swallowed, the tears still flowing, "Ju..Judith," She stammered.

The woman cooed at Judith and Judith smiled back at her. Beth wished the little girl would cry but Judith was so used to random strangers picking her up at the prison that she didn't make a sound. Beth felt her heart breaking into a thousand pieces as they started to leave the room.

"Wait!" She gasped. "Her things. Please take her things!" She cried.

"I picked up that bag when we came in. That's how we knew there was a baby in here, aside from her cries," Anna replied.

They continued on out the door and Beth ran to the doorway, falling to her knees, "Her bear, she likes to sleep with her bear," She gasped out between sobs.

Anna looked at her for a moment as if she might be having second thoughts and then she nodded and her husband pushed her on towards the door where they exited quietly. Beth leaned against the wall with her knees drawn up to her chest then realized she should look out the window and see what direction they went at least. She dashed over to it and just caught a glimpse of them getting into a blue Dodge truck. They pulled out quickly, not even bothering to close the gate. A few walkers ambled inside and Beth ran to check the front door. She slammed it shut and leaned against it, trying to get her nerves calm. Her eyes fell to the pallet that she had made for Judith and she saw the pink blanket that they always wrapped the girl in lying on the floor. She walked over slowly and picked it up, inhaling the scent of baby. She sank to the floor and sobbed, the blanket clutched to her chest.

* * *

**So...baby Judith has essentially been kidnapped. Told you this had a darker tone, but don't worry about Judith right now. That's all I will say. I'll try to get another chapter out this evening or tomorrow morning at the very least. **

**I know you hate me right now but, Review? :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Not entirely happy with this one, but it is what it is. I've went over it several times and I fear if I keep picking at it, it might end up worse than it is, LOL. Hope it's just me being critical as usual and that it's not too bad! Thanks for your kind reviews!**

* * *

All in all, Daryl was fairly pleased with the things he had found on his run into town. His first stop had been a vehicle and it had taken him a while to find one that had enough gas in it to get him from point A to point B. The first several stops after had proved useless, finding that the stores had been picked over by other travelers who had passed through. It was only when he found a small, slightly run-down, Mom and Pop store that he actually found anything of use.

The store had been off of the beaten path and he figured that most had overlooked it. He hadn't though. Daryl had learned that most of those stores tended to prove the most useful. He had only had to take out a handful of walkers so far and his back was a little sore, but nothing that he felt he couldn't handle. He was feeling better just by being out and doing something useful.

Inside of the store, he found a box of matches, three cases of water, numerous canned goods, and a flashlight. It wasn't his biggest haul by any means, but he could tell by the light of day that it was getting to be late in the afternoon, and he needed to head on back to Beth and Judith. As he passed by several things that held no use for them, he stopped at one shelf and eyed several chocolate bars that remained. Sighing, he swiped them into his bag and then made his way to the door. Just at the exit he paused again and picked up one last thing, shoving it into his bag before leaving.

Outside the store he had to take care of a walker that had ambled over since he had been inside. It was shuffling around the car, trying to pick up the scent of food. He lifted his bow and fired off a shot, sending it straight into the walkers brain. It fell into a lifeless heap and Daryl grabbed his bolt back from it before stepping over it, wiping the brain matter onto his pants. He finished loading his spoils into the trunk of the small Honda he had picked up and climbed inside.

He was about to crank the car when something caught his attention. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he slumped down in his seat as a vehicle came driving by. He kept his eyes on it in case he had to make a go of it but the blue truck roared on by, not even slowing down. He frowned but decided not to worry about it too much. The truck was going in the opposite direction that he was, so maybe whoever it was had just been passing through. He fired up the car and headed in the opposite direction, glancing in the rearview mirror every few minutes as he drove. He had an odd feeling in his gut that he couldn't shake and he didn't like it.

* * *

Beth sniffed and finally managed to pull herself together somewhat. She didn't know what was going to happen when Daryl returned. He would most definitely be angry with her. She should have done _more_, _said_ more, but what? There was no way she would have put Judith in danger and she couldn't get herself shot or Daryl would never know what had happened.

She had pushed a chair in front of the door to keep it closed because the couple had warped the door frame slightly breaking into the house and the door no longer shut correctly. What a mess they were in. She could only hope that the woman, Anna, took good care of Judith until they could get her back. They _had_ to get her back. Judith belonged with _them_, with people she knew. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as she thought of how she had let everyone down.

She had always known that she wasn't good for a lot of things. She wasn't much of a fighter, she wasn't very strong, and her cooking was mediocre at best. The only thing she had truly been good at was taking care of Judith and she had even failed at that. No wonder the group had never bothered to teach her anything. She was a weak link and now Daryl was going to hate her. It was too much for her to take.

She lay with her back against the wall, clutching the little blanket to her chest, the only thing she had left of the little girl. The front door squeaked and she immediately rolled to her feet, preparing for walkers. She had seen the two drift into the yard and with the gate open, she could only imagine how many more would have come inside. She used the tip of her knife to pull back the curtain and peer out the window. She could make out two walkers on the front lawn and most certainly one at the door, judging by the pressure behind it.

She sucked in a deep calming breath. She needed to get that gate shut so that Daryl wouldn't have to try and fight off an army when he returned. Keeping one foot against the door to hold it, she slid the table out of the way. Saying a prayer to God and hoping he was listening, she stepped back from the door and it swung open. The walker that entered was about her size in height but slightly overweight and it began moving a little more swiftly as it caught onto her scent. She gripped her knife steady in her hand as Daryl had shown her and waited until the thing got closer. It grabbed her left wrist and she faltered for several seconds before swinging the knife up and towards its head. Putrid smells invaded her senses as her knife made contact with the walker's eyeball. She pushed the knife in harder and felt the walker's grip finally loosen on her wrist. It slumped to the floor and she stood back, amazed yet proud of herself for taking it down. She glanced towards the doorway and then grabbed the walker by the ankles, dragging it outside. She knew there had been two walkers inside the fence but she didn't see them so she assumed they had went around back.

She made a mad dash for the gate and slammed it shut, resting her back against it for a moment. Summoning her courage, she made her way around the tiny house. She found the walkers in the backyard wandering around aimlessly. She had a brief moment of sadness for the creatures who served no other purpose other than to roam the earth, feeding off of the living. She only hoped that if she ever died, someone would put her out of her misery before she could turn into a monster. The walkers seemed to notice her at the same time and she had a moment of panic. _How would she handle two at once?_

She circled around them, hoping to draw them away from each other but they seemed to be drawn to each other. They moved almost as one and before she knew it, she had backed herself into a corner. Angry with herself, she lashed out with the knife, slicing through the arm of one of the walkers who snarled at her almost in anger. She kicked out with her leg at the other and managed to bend the walkers leg back at a grotesque angle. She cried out as one of them tangled its finger into her hair and she stabbed out with her knife blindly, her hair partially covering her face as it fell out of its ponytail. She felt the knife slide through one of the walkers but when she wiped her hair from her face, she saw that her knife had missed its mark. It stuck out from the walker's shoulder and now out of her reach as the walker twisted around.

She gasped as bits of blood flew onto her face as a bolt tore through the first walker's skull and before she could react, the second walker suffered the same fate. She was left standing in the corner with her hair falling wildly around her, staring at Daryl with bits of blood speckled onto her face. His face was creased with worry and he stalked over, grabbing up his bolts and then her knife.

"Ya alright?" He asked. She nodded, knowing she had to tell him about Judith. He glanced around and then back to her. "What tha hell happened here? How these bastards get in?"

Her lip trembled, but she managed to remain calm, "Two people came into the house. A man and a woman. They had a gun and they took Judith," She blurted.

Daryl stared at her for several seconds before he looked away, his jaw clenched. She ducked her head in shame. "How long?" He asked quietly.

"A couple of hours maybe," She guessed.

He sucked in a breath, "Fuck!" He shouted.

She jumped slightly at his outburst, "I'm sorry. Th...They said they wanted a baby because they had lost theirs. I tried to save her but I only had a knife," She said softly.

He stuck his thumb in his mouth, gnawing on the skin worriedly. She had noticed him doing this on several occasions when something was worrying him. He spit the bits of skin out onto the ground and began pacing back and forth in the small space.

"They on foot?" He asked.

She shook her head, "No. A truck. Blue Dodge Ram."

Daryl paused mid-step, turning to look at her, "_Blue Dodge?_" He asked carefully.

"Yes."

"Fuck me! That's tha same fuckin' truck I saw on tha way back. They was headed outta town!"

She flinched as he kicked at a rock in the yard, sending it flying over the fence along with bits of grass and dirt. She could feel her eyes welling up and she fought to hold back the tears. He wouldn't offer her any sympathy, she knew.

"The woman's name was Anna, but I don't know about the man. I offered for them to take me too, but they refused. I didn't want them to hurt her. I'm so sorry Daryl," She touched his arm softly and he jerked back, his eyes wild and angry.

"_Don't_," He said firmly. She nodded and took a step away from him, slightly fearful of him now. She had heard tales of the Dixon brother's moods but she had never experienced them firsthand to this extent before.

He finally seemed to calm somewhat and he glanced up at the fading light of the day. He took a step towards her and she flinched. He paused, "Ain't gonna hit ya. I ain't that kinda man," He said. "Help me get these things inside an' then we'll figure out a plan."

She nodded and followed him around to the front where he opened the gate and together they brought in everything that he had found. She waited by the gate to keep an eye out while he siphoned the rest of the gas from the car and added it to the suv. He stepped over the body of the walker she had killed and dragged outside. Most of the things they loaded into the suv, only bringing inside what they needed for the night.

She followed him into the kitchen where he tossed a can of food to her. They stood in the kitchen, eating in silence. Her eyes kept darting to him but he seemed intent on his food and said nothing. Finally he finished eating and tossed the can into a bag they had on the counter. She watched him warily.

"We'll head out in tha direction tha truck went in tha mornin'," He finally said.

"Alright. Whatever you think is best," She replied. She sniffed despite her best efforts. "I'm s..so so..sorry," She stuttered.

He crossed the room so fast, she gasped. He placed his hands on either side of her face, startling her as his gaze burned into hers.

"We're gonna get 'er back, ya understand?" He asked firmly.

She nodded, swiping at her tears with her fingers. He stared at her for several seconds before she felt the pad of his thumb wipe away a lone tear. His touch was surprisingly gentle compared to the intensity of his expression. He let go, as if he became aware of how close they were all of a sudden. She stood there for a bit after he left, placing her hand over the spot where his fingers had been.

* * *

**So, what do you think? Review me, please and thank you! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

****Warning! Mentions of violence in this chapter! Be prepared! **

**Good morning all! I hope you are having a wonderful week! I started to get this out last night but then it got late and I wanted to go over it one more time before I posted it. I was unsure about going this route already, but I think it's time. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and thank you all again for the awesome, AWESOME, reviews! They keep me writing!**

* * *

Daryl jumped slightly as Beth pulled out another of his stitches.

"Sorry," She murmured. "Just hold still, I'm almost done."

Daryl sighed. It wasn't easy for him to sit still with her hands all over his bare back. At least it had distracted him for a bit from thinking about Judith. He had only been in charge of taking care of them for a little over a week and already someone had taken her. He had let Rick down. He hadn't been able to save Carl and he couldn't even keep Judith safe for more than two weeks. He had failed miserably and to top it all off he didn't even know if he would be able to get Judith back. He had no idea who the people were that took her. The only thing he had to go on was that they _were_ driving a blue Dodge Ram pickup. They could be driving anything by now. If anything happened to that little girl...he didn't know what he would do. She deserved to live. She deserved a chance at life.

Finally, Beth pulled out the last stitch and he relaxed some. They hadn't spoken much besides what was necessary. He didn't want to look at her. He was still kicking himself for going on the run. He should have tried to take them with him. Instead he had left them behind utterly defenseless. He had been so close to that truck. If only he had known he could have taken off after it and taken Judith back.

He sighed as he pulled his shirt back down. Beth moved from behind him and went to dispose of the stitches. She was back a minute later and Daryl thought she looked weary and...defeated.

"Why don'tcha sleep on tha couch? I'll take tha floor," He suggested.

She shook her head, "No. It wouldn't do your back any good to sleep on this hard floor."

"Don't feel right takin' tha couch an' ya on tha floor," He said.

She took off her shoes and climbed underneath the blankets she had on the floor, "It's fine. I need you at one hundred percent. We both know I'm not much help," She said softly.

Daryl grimaced, "You'll get there. I can teach ya a lot. Gon' take time though."

She nodded but she didn't look convinced, "Goodnight Daryl," She said and she burrowed under the blankets, turning her back to him.

He blew out the candle and lay back on the couch. He knew he should try to get some sleep so that he could be rested when they went to look for Judith in the morning, but he wasn't sleepy. His thoughts were racing, keeping him up. He tried changing positions, but he still couldn't drown out his thoughts. Finally, he gave up trying and just lay there, waiting for morning to come.

...

The sound of whimpering brought him back to consciousness. He wasn't sure how long he had dozed, but he was wide awake now. He glanced over towards Beth who he could hear tossing in her sleep, mumbling. She was making whimpering noises. He got up and made his way over to her in the darkness, mindful of the table by the couch. He crouched down next to her, barely able to make out her sleeping form on the floor.

He reached out a hand to shake her shoulder, "Hey, hey wake up," He coaxed. She mumbled in her sleep and lashed out at him, forcing him to grab her wrists in his hands. "Beth!"

She sat up so quickly that her head hit his sharply and he released her wrists with a wince. She placed her hand over her forehead, "Oh God, I'm so sorry Daryl," She groaned.

He rubbed at his head once more, figuring he would most likely have a headache later. "'S alright," He muttered.

She climbed to her knees, "Here, let me see," She grabbed his head in her hands gently and he began to panic slightly as her fingers drifted across his forehead.

He hissed in a breath as her fingers slid over a tender spot and he reached out to grab her hands again. "Please don't. Don't touch me," He breathed.

He released her hands and she sat back quietly, "Why don't you like to be touched? Is it because of your back?" She asked softly.

Daryl sucked in a breath. Damn, the girl didn't beat around the bush. She went straight to the heart of the matter. "That ain't exactly night-time conversation," He replied.

She shifted and he felt her move to sit next to him, "I just want to understand. I won't be able to get back to sleep now anyhow," She replied.

"What were ya dreamin' 'bout?" He asked. He hoped that he could change the subject and get her focused onto something else besides him and his problems.

"I was dreaming about Maggie and my Daddy. I dreamed that I was in the car again, waiting on everyone with Judith. Then I saw Maggie and Daddy running towards the car...I could see the terror on their faces but before they could reach the car," She paused and swallowed, trying to maintain control. "Before they could reach the car, they were shot down by the Governor. I couldn't save them because I only had a knife and then the Governor took Judith and I was left all alone," She finished.

Daryl didn't know what to say. Those were pretty vivid nightmares for her to be having. He supposed that they both were running from their own set of demons. Except Daryl had already learned that no matter how hard you tried, you never got away from them. They might disappear for a while, but they always came back.

"Nightmares are a bitch. Tha worst part is ya can't control 'em," Daryl said.

"You have nightmares?"

"All tha time," He replied.

He felt her move around and then her soft hand was clutching his larger one. His first instinct was to pull away but she held on tight in anticipation.

"Tell me your nightmares," She whispered.

He snorted, "Ya ain't wantin' ta hear 'bout my dreams kid. They ain't for tha faint o' heart." He wasn't so sure that he wanted to dredge up those memories even though he knew it wouldn't require much effort. They were always there, hiding just beneath the surface.

"It might help to talk about it. I won't judge you for it. Tell me," She coaxed.

He stared at her for several minutes. He wasn't tired anymore and it still wasn't light out. He sighed, "When I was 'bout five or six, I got my first beatin'. I knew it was comin' one day. I had seen Merle get hit plenty o' times by that age. It was tha day after my momma had died. Part o' tha house had caught fire an' she'd been tha only one home at tha time. Merle an' me was out in tha woods like we always was an' tha old man was off at tha bar drinkin' his life away again. They was able ta put out most tha fire before it caused much damage but tha damage had already been done. Tha doctors said she died from smoke inhalation or some shit like that. It ain't matter; she was gone," He paused and reached into his pocket for a cigarette. If he was going to keep talking about this, he needed something to steady his nerves. He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag off of it, slowing his racing heart. "We stayed in tha house even with tha damage cause tha ole' man said it ain't make sense ta try an' move when it weren't nothin' wrong with tha place. Tha next mornin' Merle was gone off somewhere, doin' whatever tha hell Merle did those days an' it was jus' me and him," Daryl paused again, closing his eyes as the memories flooded back to him vividly. He saw himself standing in the kitchen again and he shivered. He felt her hand grip his again and he blinked, gripping her hand tightly. "I was in tha kitchen, tryin' ta find somethin' ta eat when he came 'round tha corner. I knew he was goin' ta try an' start a fight with me. I could tell he had been drinkin' an' I was tha only available target..." Daryl closed his eyes again as the memories engulfed him.

_He pushed aside the carton of slightly sour milk and searched for the bowl of chicken salad that he had seen someone bring over yesterday. He knew that when people died, other people would sometimes bring you food. They had had one person bring them food. A neighbor from down the road who always seemed to have a kind word for Daryl. She was an elderly woman who lived alone and she had seen the firetrucks and ambulances go past. She had heard about his mother and that evening, she had brought over the bowl of chicken salad. Daryl had accepted it, glad that the old man was out at the time. He had pushed it towards the back of the fridge, trying to hide it so that it wouldn't get eaten before he could try some. Now he could see that that hadn't worked because the chicken salad was no where to be found. He sensed the old man behind him before he saw him. _

_"Lookin' fer somethin' Darlina?" The old man sneered. _

_Daryl froze. He slowly straightened and closed the fridge door, his senses on full alert. He shook his head, "No."_

_"Don't lie ta me boy. I know ya lookin' fer that chicken shit that crazy ole' bat brought over here last night," He slurred and laughed. "Don't look so surprised boy. Yer daddy sees everythin'. I threw it out. Don't need no damn charity. Plenty o' shit in there fer ya ta eat." _

_Daryl nodded, afraid to speak. The less you talked for the most part, the better off you were. Sometimes though, it didn't matter. Whether you talked or not, he would still lash out if he was looking for a fight. Daryl took a towel from the counter and began wiping at some alcohol that was spilled there. The old man watched him with cold, beady, eyes that reminded Daryl of a rat. _

_"Where's ya fuckin' brotha at? Off in them damn woods somewhere? I swear ya'd think tha two of ya was born in them woods. Pro'bly was. Yer momma spread 'er legs fer half tha town. Pro'bly ain't even my kids," He laughed. "Especially you Darlina. I don't think you's mine at all. Ya too much of a pussy ta have Dixon blood flowin' through ya veins." _

_Daryl had continued wiping at the counter ignoring the man and hoping that he would grow tired of his charade and go to bed or leave. He really didn't care. It didn't even bother him about what the man said. He had learned early on not to give much credit to anything that came out of the man's mouth, drunk or not. _

_Except this time he didn't leave. Daryl heard him come around the counter and stop a few inches behind him. Daryl's blood went cold and he tried to maintain a sense of calm as he continued his chore. He could smell the strong scent of cheap liquor on the man's breath and his stomach rolled. _

_"I think I'm right. Ya ain't my child at all. Ya some kinda pussy," He pushed Daryl hard and Daryl braced himself as he slammed against the counter. "Ya some kinda pussy kid?" He snarled near Daryl's ear. _

_"Sure," Daryl agreed. "Whatever."_

_He snickered, "I don't think ya got any balls at all. Maybe ya was born a lil' girl an' we ain't knowed it all these years," Daryl didn't respond. "I'm talkin' ta ya boy!" The man roared. _

_"Yes," Daryl said, his head hung low. _

_"Yes...what?" He asked._

_"Yes." Daryl wouldn't say it. He didn't care what the man did, but he wouldn't call him sir. That was a sign of respect and Daryl had no respect for this man at all. _

_The old man backed away from him but Daryl knew it wasn't over. It was just the calm before the storm. He had watched it happen to Merle enough times. He had always wanted to jump in, but Merle would wave him away, taking the full brunt for his brother. Until now. Now Merle wasn't here and Daryl knew his time of hiding behind his brother was over. _

_He heard the crack of the belt before he saw it. The old man moved fast to be intoxicated. The belt bit into his back angrily and Daryl gripped the counter, crying out. That was his first mistake. Crying was for pussies. The lashes kept coming, each one biting a little more than the last until he was struggling to stand, his grip on the counter slipping. He could feel the blood trickling down his back and then his world had went dark._

He didn't look at her after he finished his story. He just waited for her to pull away, to be disgusted that he had endured something like that. He waited for the pity that was sure to come.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," She whispered.

He nodded, "Wasn't as bad as I thought," He said. It was true. He felt slightly better getting that off of his chest. He had been carrying those beatings around with him for a long time. Merle knew about some of them because he had been there or seen the marks but Merle didn't know about them all. Some of them had been really bad and those he would never reveal to anyone, not even her. He lit another cigarette and took another drag, inhaling the smoke deep into his lungs.

"Does that really help?" She asked.

He glanced at her, "Does what help?"

"Smoking. Does it calm your nerves?"

He smirked, "I reckon' it does," He replied.

"Can I try it?"

Daryl coughed and then stared at her hard in the darkness. He could only see the outline of her. "Hell no, ya ain't tryin' it. Bad 'nough I gotcha listenin' ta my tales o' darkness. I ain't tryin' ta getcha started on no bad habits as well," He said.

She sighed, "Fine."

He chuckled despite the somber mood, "Best try ta catch ya a few more winks o' sleep. Leavin' at first light," He said.

She moved away and a few minutes later she came back next to him with her pillow. She placed it on the floor next to his leg and then settled down. Minutes later he heard her soft, even, breathing and knew she was asleep. He stayed where he was, listening to her breathe in and out, waiting on the light to come chase the shadows away.

* * *

**Review Me? :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again! It's been a little insane today as I'm trying to get work done but I did manage to get this chapter out. I know it's still slow moving so I hope it's not driving you all too crazy. I promise things will pick up! I'm working this weekend but I still hope I can get a couple more updates in during my downtime. I need some motivation, LOL! You all are great though, and your reviews really do keep me going with this. I never imagined to get this much interest over this fic. Thank you all so much. Here's a little something for you all to tide you over.**

* * *

Beth was pretty sure Daryl hadn't slept more than an hour the whole night and exhaustion was beginning to show on his face as they opened the gates and backed the vehicle out, leaving their temporary residence of the past week. He was silent as he drove, his crossbow resting next to him between the seats, never more than an arm's length away at any given time. They hadn't spoken much at all this morning beyond the usual mumbled good morning.

She remembered falling asleep next to his legs last night and she hadn't thought she would be able to go back to sleep. Especially after hearing him recall memories of his childhood. She shuddered to think of all of the abuse that he could have endured beginning at the age of eleven and even the things he had seen before that. That was no kind of childhood for anyone to have. She thought she understood a little better now though, about why he acted the way that he did. She had a sense that the memory he had painted for her was one of the more tame ones. She didn't want to think about the ones that were worse.

"Doin' alright over there?" His voice cut through her thoughts.

She looked over at him, saw the lines of worry and concentration creased on his face, "I'm good. How are you feeling this morning?"

His eyes cut to hers for a brief second and then back to the road, "Ain't got no complaints I reckon'. At least, not physically anyway," He replied.

She nodded her head in understanding, "Do you have a plan?" She asked.

He shrugged, "Kinna hard ta plan but I'm figurin' on headin' out tha way I saw that vehicle go an' jus' seein' if we come across anythin'," He said.

"Sounds good to me," She replied and settled back against her seat, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

They drove through the small town that Daryl had raided through the day before, weaving through the walkers that stepped in front of them. She thought it was kind of odd how sometimes they almost looked as if they were trying to flag you down, like they had something important to tell you. She had never really paid much attention to the walkers before, never really considered them as something that was once human. Her Daddy had, but she hadn't wanted to think about it. It was much easier to kill them if you didn't think about it. As Daryl drove them through a group of six walkers, she thought about it. Each of them probably had a story to tell, their clothes and accessories portraying bits and pieces of their former life. It was difficult to imagine it with all of the blood and wounds covering them. She shivered slightly. She hoped that she would never have to be reduced to that. She knew though, from Rick, that they would all turn when they died but she could only hope that someone would put a bullet through her skull before the virus began to rage through her body.

She tried to imagine that her family, the _whole_ group, was in a much better place now. She had tried to hold strong to her beliefs on God and the Bible but with each passing day, it grew harder to imagine that there was something greater than this world out there. She simply didn't understand that if there _was_ still a God, then why would He inflict this misery onto the world? She knew it wasn't her place to question it. That was why you had faith that He was still there, faith that He would bring you through this madness, and that one day the world would be restored, perhaps better than it once was. Maybe that was the plan all along, to weed out the bad until you were left with the good. Until you were left with the ones who were supposed to repopulate the world. Except she knew a lot of _good_ people that had died. People that in her eyes, hadn't deserved the kind of death that had been bestowed upon them.

She was jolted from her deep thoughts once more as Daryl slowed to a crawl and she saw that they were coming upon a group of cars that were littering the highway. Instead of getting out and moving the cars, he sat there for a moment, letting the vehicle idle.

"What are you thinking?" She asked, not wanting to break his concentration but finding herself curious.

His eyes studied the scene before them. They would definitely have to move vehicles to pass through. There was no way around it. "This ain't tha way they came," He said.

"It isn't?" She asked.

He shook his head, "No. If'n they woulda come this way, then these cars woulda been moved. Unless they dumped tha truck but I don't see them huffin' it on foot with no baby. They either went another way or they camped out somewhere nearby. My guess would be they somewhere nearby. All them other roads I passed is small roads and it ain't likely they took to a back road with jus' tha three of 'em," He explained.

Beth contemplated that thought. She knew Daryl was right. Out of anyone in their group, she had never questioned his instincts. Somehow, he always seemed to be right about things and she knew that now wasn't any different.

"So you want to find somewhere to set up camp and then head out to look for tracks?" She asked.

He looked at her, actually studying her instead of just looking through her like he usually did, "Ya think I'm right?"

She nodded, "You ain't been wrong before."

He turned back to the front and after a few minutes, put the vehicle in reverse and turned it around, heading back the way they came. Except he didn't go all the way back. He drove slowly and she knew he was looking for a safe enough place to sleep later. He finally pulled in front of an abandoned building that still had all of its windows intact. He drove around it slowly, leaning forward in his seat, his eyes scanning their surroundings. He finally parked the vehicle around the back and opened his door. He stood on the edge of the SUV and aimed his bow at a couple of walkers, taking them down with ease. He jumped down then and collected up his bolts, wiping them clean on his pants. She exited the vehicle then and started walking over to him when she felt the rough, cold, fingers of a walker graze her shirt. Letting out a gasp, she spun around and walked backwards a few steps to get away. The walker was shuffling along slowly and dragging one its legs behind him that appeared to be broken. It gave a raspy cry and reached for her, a good few feet away now.

She felt Daryl's presence at her back and she was comforted by it, "Practice time. Ya got this. Take it nice an' slow an' aim fer tha head," His rough voice whispered at her ear, his breath blowing across her face. She nodded, her hands trembling. She was determined to get this right. She had killed the one at the other house and she could do this one too, right? She felt his hands grip her wrists and he tightened her fingers around her knife. "Come on, gettin' closer. Take tha bastard down," He coaxed.

She tried to ignore the warmth of his body just behind hers and the touch of his fingers and she focused all of her concentration on the walker. It was much closer now, still going at a fairly decent pace despite its handicap. She raised the knife and then ran forward, not wanting Daryl to have to come to her rescue. She needed to show him that she could pull her own weight. As the tip of her blade sunk into the bone surrounding the brain, she grunted and pressed forward a little more until her knife sunk all of the way in and blood spilled out of its head, some of it running over her fingers. She yanked up on the knife, the weight of the falling corpse threatening to take her down with it.

"Use ya boot fer leverage," Daryl's voice said from behind her.

She lifted her boot and braced it against the chest of the walker and tugged. The knife came sliding out with a sucking sound and the walker fell the rest of the way to the ground. Her nose curled slightly at the scent but it wasn't anything she hadn't smelled before. They always seemed to smell like walker, no matter how much they scrubbed to get their clothes clean. It was amazing what they had gotten used to. She turned back to Daryl, finding him standing there observing her with a faint smile on his face. His eyes gleamed with approval.

She smiled back at him, feeling better about herself, "How did I do?" She asked.

He nodded, "Ya did good. Jus' gotta getcha in some more practice. Let's see what's inside this place an' then I'll see if I can't pick up a trail or somethin'," He said.

...

Daryl hadn't been expecting to feel anything toward the girl. If you asked him months ago at the prison, he wouldn't have been able to tell you much of anything about her. He still couldn't but he did know that she was starting to grow on him in a way that had been completely unexpected. He wasn't sure if she was having the same thoughts as him and he wasn't about to go asking her anything of the sort either. His first priority was to find Judith and get her back safely. He owed it to Rick and the rest of the group who had all sacrificed their lives for that little girl. He wouldn't rest until he had her back.

He was greatly relieved to find only two walkers inside of the building and he let Beth take care of both of them, standing ready just behind her in case she needed him. The walkers had been easy kills because both were slumped on the floor against the wall and he figured that they might have been on the brink of starvation judging from their slow jerky movements. It was hard to say because the group had never really figured out if the walkers eventually just died if they ran out of food. He did know that they could go for an extreme amount of time without eating judging from some of the corpses he had encountered.

The building he had chosen turned out to be an old abandoned bar. It wasn't a classy joint but one of those roadside bars you might find on a back road somewhere. It had obviously been empty for quite some time judging from the lack of alcohol and walkers. It wouldn't be the most comfortable night of sleep they had ever had, but then again it never was. They did a thorough sweep until he was satisfied that the rest of the place was empty.

He turned to Beth, "Ya ready fer this?"

She looked nervous but she nodded, "I'll do whatever it takes to get her back," She replied.

He stared out of the small window towards the woods and the road behind the bar. He could make out a house amongst the trees that looked as if it was hanging on by a single nail.

He pointed to it, "We'll check there first."

She peered over his shoulder to look out of the little window. He tensed and had to remind himself that she wasn't touching him, she was just looking out of the window. He could feel several strands of her hair brushing against the back of his neck. It he wasn't aware of her before, his body was definitely aware of her now.

Just as quickly, she stepped back towards the door, "Lead the way."

* * *

**Review? **

**Hope you all have a ROCKIN' weekend! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Oh y'all, I could really use the love for this chapter. You have no idea of the day I've had here. It started out pretty decent and then went all to hell in a handbag. I started not to write anything but this story just called to me and the words just started flowing out of me. I'm quite tired tonight so I'm ending it where it ends and hoping that you all will forgive me if any errors. (I tried to proofread it) I hope it's good. Sometimes the worst moods for me can make the best of chapters. Anyway, I hope everyone else is having a better night than me. I'm going to get some sleep now. Tomorrow is another day, right? Goodnight and enjoy!**

* * *

The house had been empty, no sign of Judith or the people anywhere. They hadn't been expecting much, considering the house looked as if a strong wind might blow it over, but it had still been disappointing. Beth knew that the longer it took to find Judith, the greater the chances were that they _wouldn't _find her.

She knew that this whole thing was weighing heavy on Daryl and she wished she knew where to find Judith. She wished she had fought more, _done _more. She kept thinking that if Daryl had been there, Judith would have never been taken. He crouched next to her and she looked down at his face that was creased in concentration. His muscles gleamed with a fine sheen of sweat that they had both collected from being inside of that house that had absolutely no air flow. His hair was slightly curled at the nape of his neck from the dampness. Her own shirt was sticking to her and she grabbed the top of it, pulling it away from her skin to lightly fan herself with it.

Daryl stood then, his expression grim. This wasn't good. Any time Daryl Dixon got a grim expression on his face was bad. She sucked in a breath and his eyes flicked to hers. She was momentarily struck by his expression. His face was a mixture of confusion, frustration, and _helplessness_. Those weren't things you normally associated with Daryl Dixon.

He looked out towards the woods and she reached out a hand to lightly touch him on his arm, "What's going through your mind right now?"

He sighed, "I don't know," He growled in frustration and chewed on his thumb. "I don't know which way ta go," He laughed bitterly. "I'm s'posed ta be tha one who's got all tha answers an' can track anyone, right? I can't track _her_."

"We just started. You can't give up yet. We'll just keep looking until we come across something," She walked in front of him, forcing him to look at her. "You can't track what isn't there," She said softly.

He swallowed and then leaned over for a moment, resting his hands on his knees. She started to get worried and then he spit out another laugh, "Shit like this jus' don't happen ta me. Why me? Why is everyone else gettin' taken an' I'm gettin' left behind? Answer me that. At tha rate I'm goin', yer gon' be next an' won't be a damn thing I can do 'bout it."

She was stunned. He was obviously having some sort of mental breakdown and she had absolutely no idea how to help him through it. Her first instinct whenever someone was upset or hurt was to comfort them and you just didn't do that to Daryl. He didn't respond to comfort. So she just watched and after a few minutes he sucked in a deep breath and let it out, his expression returning to what was considered his normal.

He started walking, "Daryl?" She asked, worried that he hadn't said anything. She didn't exactly think it was a good idea to go traipsing in the woods if he wasn't in the right mindframe.

He paused, his shoulders tensing in the afternoon light, "I'm good. Jus' needed a moment is all. Let's go. Lots o' ground ta cover before dark."

She let out a breath and fell into step behind him.

* * *

Daryl felt like he was on the edge of a cliff, waiting on a push. It would come sooner or later and he would fall, just like he always did. There was always a push. Things went okay for a while as he moved closer and closer to the edge of the cliff and then he would just teeter precariously on the edge, trying to keep from losing his balance. He had almost lost his balance earlier with Beth. He had felt himself on the brink of some sort of mental breakdown. He liked to think that he could take a lot of shit and he really could, but this was pushing the envelope.

He had gotten attached to the kid whether anyone knew it or not. She was the last link he had to his best friend, the one person he had sworn to Rick that he would take care of and he hadn't. He accepted full responsibility for her being gone and the whole thing was throwing his focus off.

He was angry and he didn't know where to channel all of that anger. His brother wasn't around to pick a fight with anymore and there wasn't a damn walker in sight when you needed some stress relief. That figured. Things never went the way that he wanted them to. Just once in his life, he would like a break. Some sign that even though things seemed shitty as hell, that there was a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere.

They walked for a long time, the woods around them thickening as they made their way further in. He stopped at a small creek and they took a minute to rinse themselves off a bit. He pushed onward, desperation fueling him on. They were nearing the bar where they would be staying again and the light was fading. The dusk would soon turn to night and the dark was no place that you wanted to be when there were walkers roaming the earth.

It was over. They must have walked eight miles or more. He wasn't really sure. He knew that Beth was dragging and they hadn't eaten. She hadn't complained not one time though and he admired her for that. He hadn't even thought to bring food for them. He was used to going long periods without sustenance but Beth wasn't. Wearily, he declared the first day of search over as he opened the door to the building and she passed inside.

Day one of the search and it was a big fat fail.

* * *

She was so tired. They had walked for what seemed like an endless period of time and they hadn't even had any food with them. Neither of them had thought to bring anything and she was so hungry now that she thought her stomach might eat itself soon with all the growling it was doing.

Luckily, they had made it back to the building just as dusk was settling in. There had been a total of five walkers they encountered during the whole day. They had taken turns killing them and she was feeling somewhat better about her ability to effectively take them down. It required more finesse than she had thought but the more she practiced, the more at ease she became.

She watched as Daryl dug through a bag and pulled out two cans of food. Daryl's definition of fixing dinner was randomly pulling out two cans of food and tossing one of them to her. At the moment though, she could care less as long as she got _something_ to eat. She held her can up in the candlelight and smiled. _Fruit._ Her stomach rumbled in anticipation and she popped the top, not even bothering with utensils as she dug her fingers into the can. She hummed in appreciation as the first bite settled onto the bottom of her stomach. Without thinking, she stuck her fingers in her mouth and sucked off the sugary syrup that coated them. She barely paused for breath as she dug into the can again and again, releasing small moans of pleasure every few bites. It wasn't until she got to the bottom and turned the can up to drink the rest of the juice that she noticed Daryl's eyes on her.

She set down the can and felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment. She had pretty much just acted like a wild animal and attacked the fruit. She cleared her throat and leaned back against the wall. After a few minutes Daryl walked over and spread out the two sleeping bags right next to each other. That surprised her. She figured he would have placed them farther apart but he didn't.

"Best be gettin' some sleep," He said. "'Nother early day tomorrow."

She nodded, "I figured. You're going to get some rest too right?"

He shrugged, "Eventually."

He remained standing, leaning against the wall several feet from where she was. She pushed herself up with her hands and walked over until she was just in front of him. She wanted to feel something. She _craved _a human connection, something to make her feel as if she wasn't alone in this world. Beth needed something to make her feel a_live_, instead of just merely going through the motions.

"You need rest," She said softly.

He looked at her, the long strands of his hair falling over his eyes, "Don'tcha worry 'bout me," He said.

She scoffed and reached out with her hand to touch his cheek. He twitched and jerked away slightly. "Somebody needs to worry about you Daryl. You can't keep doing this to yourself. You were on the edge today and I was worried that you were going to slip away," She said.

He scoffed, "I'm invincible, remember? Ain't nothin' can kill a Dixon," He murmured.

"You do so much for everyone else. When are you going to let others do things for you?"

His eyes burned into hers, searing her skin, "Don't need nobody doin' nothin' for me."

"Everybody needs somebody from time to time," She remarked.

He shifted his stance, spreading his legs apart a little and cracking his neck, "And you?"

She frowned, "And me what?"

"Do _you_ need somebody?"

She did. She needed somebody badly. She needed the comfort of another human being beyond just sharing the same breathing space. She nodded, "Yes," She whispered. She took a step towards him and saw the flash of nervousness in his eyes. He was almost like a skittish wild animal when he felt like he was about to be cornered. He didn't run though and he didn't change positions to back away either. She was paying attention for once. She took another step closer and then another, until she was barely an inch away from him.

He looked up at her but she didn't know what to do from there, "Your move," She challenged softly.

Something in his expression changed slightly as he regarded her. She almost turned tail and ran but she held her ground. It was too late to run now, the board had been set and the game was ready to be played. Just when she began to think that he wasn't going to do a thing, he lifted his hand and placed it lightly on her hip. The simple gesture shook her and she remained as still as possible, afraid of scaring him off. His hand felt heavy and good, his touch burning through her clothes to her skin. She imagined what it would feel like to have him touch her without her clothes and she blushed at her dirty thoughts.

"Your move now," He tossed back.

She lifted her fingers and moved them across his jaw, grazing over his rough beard. He closed his eyes and she thought she detected a faint tremble but she wasn't sure. Without his eyes burning into her, she found the courage to lean forward and she pressed her lips to his softly. He jerked at her touch but he didn't push her away. She held her lips there for several minutes, enjoying the feel of his skin on hers. She didn't move to deepen the kiss at all, knowing that it might push him too far. His lips were chapped but warm and pliant.

She pulled back and felt his thumb stroke her hip where his hand still rested. She gave him a small smile, "Goodnight Daryl. Get some rest," She whispered.

His hand fell away from her hip as she walked backwards and over to the sleeping bags. She didn't look at him, but she knew that he was watching her. Despite the fact that Judith was still out there, she felt better than she had felt in a long time. Daryl had actually let her get close to him, something he had never let anyone else do. For the first time in a long time, she felt _hope_ and she smiled at his barely audible mumble.

"G'night."

* * *

**Review me? **


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow. I have no words other than to say that y'all are awesome and I can't thank you enough for the reviews!**

* * *

His mind wasn't as focused as he would have liked this morning. He had waited until he had heard Beth's breathing deepen into sleep last night before doing a final check and lying down on his bag. Daryl didn't know why he had placed them so close together but for some reason he found her presence comforting. He had been around the others in the group for so long now that he found himself missing the noise and chatter of the others. Even though he hadn't wanted to join in, he had gotten used to it and now it was gone.

And the _kiss_. He didn't know what to do about that. His mind wouldn't stop replaying the scene over and over though. It hadn't been much of a kiss but it was a kiss nevertheless. He had kissed a few women in his lifetime, but none of them had been anything special. He had even fumbled through second base but that was as far as he had gotten in his thirty something years. It was completely pathetic and Merle had constantly given him grief about it but the truth of the matter was that he just hadn't been interested in pursuing anything romantic. He was a simple man and he didn't like complications. That's why he was so shocked when the simple kiss from Beth had stirred something inside him that he didn't know was there. Something raw, something…_feral_.

So far this morning she hadn't referred to the kiss in any way and she didn't seem to be expecting anything from him so he was slightly relieved. If she approached him again he might not turn her down but he was scared that he might go too far. She was young and he wasn't. That alone would complicate matters although he didn't know why. It wasn't like there was anyone around to tell them that it was wrong or that they couldn't kiss each other.

He sighed and rubbed at his temples as Beth followed him to the SUV. He hadn't told her what his plans were yet and so far she hadn't asked. She just simply followed him around silently until he was ready to talk. He liked that about her. No pressure. He gestured to the vehicle, "Figure we can ride 'round town an' see if'n we can't spot that damn blue truck they was drivin'. The way I figure, they gon' need some more food for Jude an' they gotta either leave or come back ta town. Town's closer, so if I'm right an' they ain't left yet, they should be going at any time."

She slid into the passenger seat, "That sounds good. Maybe we can find a location that has a view of the town and the main road and do some kind of stakeout," She suggested.

He cranked up the vehicle and pulled out. That actually wasn't a bad idea. He wondered why everyone had always overlooked the girl and brushed her off onto Judith. Given the chance he thought she might have surprised them all. "Sounds like a plan," He said.

She smiled at him and he swallowed and looked away. "Thanks," She replied. He simply nodded and drove on into the town, wondering what the day would bring.

* * *

Beth was thrilled that Daryl had actually considered her idea _and_ thought it was a good idea as well. She had been nervous suggesting it. Back at the prison, she had never really suggested things. People always wrote her off as the young, shy, girl that took care of Judith and nothing more. With all of the experience the group had, she had always thought that her ideas might sound silly or stupid. So somehow she had faded into the background and accepted that she would never be more than someone who helped Carol cook or take care of Judith. But that wasn't all that she was and she knew she was capable of so much more if someone would just give her a chance.

When she looked at Daryl she saw him so differently now than she had before. She had only ever seen him as just a guy who stayed to himself with his crossbow and always managed to save everyone's ass. Now she could see that there was so much more to him than that. He was quick to blame himself for a lot of things, proven by his episode the day before in the woods. But he was also kind and he had a big heart. He probably didn't know it though because he usually came across as gruff. The fact that he included her on plans and developments meant the world to her and made her that much more determined to prove her worth.

Her thoughts were thrown back to their current situation as he pulled the vehicle parallel into a parking spot next to a building in the center of the town. She could see several walkers lurking around different stores and a couple of them shuffled alongside each other as if they were simply traveling with a friend.

"Let's try an' avoid killin' 'em off if possible. Don't want them people seein' fresh corpses out here an' getting' scared off," He pointed to a store on the corner with large glass windows. "Let's check out tha one on tha corner. Should have a decent view in there. There's a grocery store jus' around tha side that I checked out tha other day. Maybe they'll try an' go there."

She nodded and checked again to make sure that she had her knife. It was tucked into the waist of her jeans. She had remembered to bring food today and she had a couple of bottles of water and some dried jerky that Daryl had brought back from his run. She placed the pack on her back and they exited the vehicle, making their way quickly over to the building he had pointed out. A few walkers were alerted to the slight noises and began to change course, heading in their direction. She kept an eye on them as Daryl picked the lock to get the door open. A locked door was a good sign that they would find the building empty.

"Daryl, they're getting closer," She whispered.

He grunted, "Almost got it…_there_," He said as he pushed the door open and they entered the building.

He shut and locked the door as three of the walkers thudded against the glass, sliding their blood stained hands across the windows. Beth stood there, mesmerized at being so close to them without having to kill them or run away. Daryl grabbed her arm and led her away from the window and towards the back of the store. She glanced up at him in surprise.

"Don't know if them bastards can see or not, but ain't takin' a chance. We stay back where they can't see us an' maybe they'll go away in a minute. Don't want a buncha them hangin' 'round if those people show up. Too suspicious," He explained.

"Sorry," She replied. She didn't know why she was so fascinated with the walkers lately. He probably thought she was an idiot for staring.

She looked around the back of the store. There wasn't much to see. There were several empty glass display cases, counters, and a couple of empty racks near the door. There weren't any signs that it had been in use before the apocalypse so it was truly empty. Twenty minutes passed before the walkers lost interest in their possible food source and they shuffled away to aimlessly wander the streets of the ghost town. Daryl waved her towards the front and he pointed in front of one of the glass windows for her while he lay down in front of the other. The windows stretched from the ceiling to maybe a few inches from the floor. She copied his movement and lay down in front of the other window.

"An' now we wait. If ya see anything let me know. They might park somewhere else an' huff it on foot. Don't know what kinda people they are," He said.

"They didn't seem like they would hurt Judith from what I saw. The woman really wanted a baby," Beth commented.

Daryl grunted, "They need ta find their own damn baby. Jude's ours," He replied.

Beth's face warmed when he said that Judith was their baby. She knew he didn't really mean it the way he said it; he just meant that Judith belonged with them but it made her blush a little anyway.

She scanned the streets; her eyes alert for anything that moved that wasn't a walker. So far there was nothing but she was hopeful that the couple would make an appearance. They could really use some good luck for a change. They stayed quiet for a while, both of them on their side of the store, watching the area.

"Sorry for flippin' my lid yesterday. Didn't mean ta worry ya none," He said suddenly.

Her eyes slid from the window a moment to look over at him, but he was still looking out towards the street. "It happens I guess. You're under a lot of pressure right now," She responded.

He snorted, "Yeah, pressure. Ya have no idea," He muttered.

"Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes that helps," She suggested. She figured he wouldn't but she threw it out there anyway. Whatever he was carrying around was clearly bugging him.

He shifted around and began chewing his thumb again. Finally he spoke, "Promised Rick 'fore we went ta kill tha Governor that if anything happened to him I'd take care o' Judith. He trusted me with his kid an' I failed him already," His voice was tinged with regret.

She wanted to go to him but she held herself back. If she went to him now, he might not ever open up to her again. It also made her feel worse because she had been the one in charge of Judith when she was taken.

"It's not your fault Daryl. It was mine. I was weak but it won't happen again," She said.

"Ya ain't weak," He said firmly.

But she was, and she knew it, "You're just being nice but I know that I'm weak. I'm going to work on getting stronger though. We're gonna get her back," She stated.

"I reckon' neither one of us is more ta blame than tha other, but I'm tha only one who broke a promise to a dead man," He murmured.

She knew the conversation was over then. He was brooding now but hopefully he wouldn't be too hard on himself. She turned her attention back to the window, her eyes drifting back over the street yet again.

She would have missed it had her eyes not lingered on the sign in the window of the pharmacy across the street. There was a flash of movement inside, a brief glimpse of color. She could feel her skin tingling, "Daryl! I think I saw something in the pharmacy across the street," She whispered.

He crawled over next to her and stared in the direction that she pointed. They waited but there was no more movement that she could see. He looked at her, "Ya sure ya saw some_one_ an' not a walker?" He asked.

She nodded, "Well at least I _think_ it was someone. It moved too fast to be a walker."

He turned back to the window, his expression tense and focused. He stood, careful to keep away from the window to anyone that might be looking, "Must have went 'round tha back then. We need ta move before they whoever it is, gets gone again. Ya ready?" He asked.

She came to stand next to him, her knife in her hand, "I'm ready. Let's get our Judith back."

* * *

**So I know a few of you are probably wanting to kill me right now. Some of you have expressed concern for Judith and hoping that they find her soon. Hang in there! I read all of your comments and I know it's going painstakingly slow but I think it's best that way. It gives Daryl and Beth a chance to bond a little without Judith in the picture. As most of you have probably figured out or guessed - Judith is alive. I am not going to kill an infant no matter how dark of a story I write. So bear with me y'all! I am humbled by your extremely kind reviews and I promise I won't make you wait long for the next chapter. I know it was a bit of a cliffhanger ;) **

**As always, I love hearing your thoughts. They are like candy and they feed my motivation to get the next chapter out for you! **


	13. Chapter 13

**You all never cease to amaze me! Wow, the reviews and love today-I'm floored! I HAD to get this next chapter out for you all. I felt like you deserved it after all of the love I got for the last chapter! I seriously can't thank you enough. I hope I did this chapter justice for you. Things are moving on along now so enjoy the ride!**

* * *

Daryl made sure Beth was behind him as he jogged across the street. He paused long enough to knife a walker and then kept going. When he got to the corner he stopped and nodded at Beth to stay against the wall. He could hear faint noises and he slowly peered around the corner of the building. A man with a medium build and dark hair stood in the alley, loading things into a small box. Daryl couldn't see what was in the box but he guessed it might be medicine from the pharmacy. He didn't see the vehicle in the alley and the man appeared to be alone.

Daryl turned back around and motioned for Beth to take a look. She would be the only one to confirm whether or not it was the same man that had taken Judith. If it wasn't then there was no reason to pick a fight with a random stranger trying to survive. She slid alongside the wall, her ass brushing against the front of his jeans. He let out a sharp breath and clenched his teeth as his body reacted to the touch. She apparently didn't notice because she made no indication of any kind. He watched as she looked around the corner. She turned back to him almost immediately and nodded in confirmation.

He steadied his bow and leaned in close to her, "Follow my lead," He whispered.

She nodded her agreement and he stepped out from behind the concealment of the building with her on his heels. It took a minute before the man even noticed that they were there. He had been bent over, intent on something inside of the box. He glanced up and his went pale. Daryl saw his eyes shift over to Beth and he could see the look of recognition pass over the man's face. The man looked as if he might make a grab for a weapon but Daryl hadn't seen the bulge of any gun underneath his clothing. He assumed the man had to at least have a knife or something. Beth had said he had had a gun when he took Judith.

Daryl narrowed his eyes, his finger on the trigger of his bow, "Nice an' easy an' nobody gets hurt," He said gruffly. "Where's tha little girl an' tha woman who was with ya?"

The man's eyes flitted to the alley for the briefest of seconds and then back to the pharmacy, "They're gone. Walkers got them a couple days ago," The man replied.

He heard Beth's audible gasp behind him but he didn't believe the man. Daryl had spent a lot of time reading people and you could tell a lot about someone's expression. For instance, this man was lying. Daryl knew it because his eyes had darted to the alley and he had hesitated a split second before spouting off the lie. The man was good, he would give him that, but Daryl was better. He took a step forward and peered into the box. Several cans of baby formula sat on top of bottle of medicine and Daryl smirked.

"That why ya got all that formula for? For yerself?" Daryl questioned.

The man shrugged, "It was on the shelf so I took it."

Daryl raised the bow, tired of all of the bullshit, "Where's tha little girl, man? I'm sure ya care 'bout that woman, right? Think 'bout it. If somethin' happens ta you, how's she gonna survive without ya? She prepared for that?" He asked.

The sound of an engine brought all of his sense's on alert. His eyes held onto the man who looked prepared to bolt at any minute. There was a vehicle coming down the alley and Daryl had a strong sense that it was the woman and Judith coming to pick up the man. The man stared at Daryl for several seconds, obviously trying to weigh his options on how good of a shot Daryl was with the bow. Then he made his decision.

The man took off running and Daryl squeezed the trigger. The bolt shot straight into the man's ass, exactly where Daryl had intended it to. The man jumped an inch off the ground and then started yelling. The blue truck came to a screeching halt just beside them and the woman who Daryl supposed was the one who had helped take Judith jumped out and ran to the man, barely paying he and Beth any attention.

"Get in tha truck Beth. Now!" Daryl shouted to her.

She took off running and climbed into the truck, locking the doors behind her. He saw her turn and then smile at him in relief, letting him know that Judith was okay.

The woman had helped the man up and was now trying to help him hobble along back in their direction. Her angry eyes met Daryl's, "You shot my husband!" She accused.

Daryl smirked, "Yeah an' both of ya stole my kid!" He shot back, "Yer lucky I didn't put an arrow through his thick skull."

The woman noticed Beth sitting in the truck and she made a frantic dive for the door handle, leaving her husband to lean against the building. Daryl watched in a somewhat amused fashion as she thought that the door to the truck might open. She pulled a gun from underneath her shirt and pointed it at Beth. Daryl's heart skipped a beat and he reacted the quickest way he knew how. He raised his bow and hit her in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. He turned, expecting the man to put up some kind of fight but saw that the man had passed out, his body having slid down to the ground next to the building.

Beth rolled down the window, "Daryl! Walkers!"

He started to dash to the truck and then turned around and grabbed the box at the last minute. As he opened the passenger side door he saw that there was indeed a small group of walkers traveling down the alley, likely alerted by the noise of the vehicle and the shouting.

He climbed inside and slammed the door, "Floor it," He told Beth.

She did as asked and the truck swerved sideways an inch before righting itself as she stomped on the gas. Smoke rose up from the back tires and she glanced at him sheepishly.

"Guess I got a little carried away there," She said.

He chuckled, "Kinda. Drive back 'round to tha SUV. Let's ditch this truck."

As she made the turn to drive around, he saw that the small herd was temporarily distracted, likely by the two fresh bodies that were lying there. He felt bad for a moment but he had to remind himself that this wasn't the same world that they used to live in. It was a fight to survival these days and you did what you had to do to make it.

* * *

Judith babbled happily at Beth as she opened the back door of the truck and reached inside for the little girl who was thankfully strapped into a carseat. She wrapped Judith up tight in her arms and hugged her as Daryl transferred the small box of medicine and formula into their vehicle. He walked back over to them and bent down to smile at the little girl who reached out a hand and grabbed his nose. He smiled a genuine smile for the first time in days and it almost took her breath away. His smile, although rarely given, was breathtaking.

When they reached the bar, Beth headed inside with Judith while Daryl grabbed the supplies they would need for the night from the truck. She lit the candles that they had and proceeded to look Judith over. She didn't appear to be harmed in any way and she didn't look upset at all. In fact, she blew raspberries with her mouth and babbled at Beth with a grin. Beth grinned back at her and kissed her little hands. She was so relieved to have the little girl back. She honestly hadn't expected to find her for a while there. She hoped that Daryl would be able to relax some now and ease up on himself a little.

Daryl walked inside at that moment and set down the box that he had picked up from the guy along with some of their other things. "Got some decent meds in here. We got some pain killers an' antibiotics too. Ain't a lot but should come in handy if we need it," He commented.

She grabbed up Judith's formula and fixed her a bottle before she put her down for the night. She studied Daryl as she began feeding the bottle to the infant, who was drinking it as fast as she could suck it through the nipple. He already looked less tense than he had earlier and she was happy for him. He walked over next to her, stroking a grubby finger against Judith's cheek.

She smiled at him, "You wanna feed her?"

He looked startled that she asked and then he nodded, "Yeah, lemme see 'er," He said.

She passed Judith over to him and watched as he situated her in the crook of his arm and swayed her gently back and forth while she drank. Beth remembered him holding Judith several times back at the prison. She also remembered how good he had been with her. It was hard to imagine gruff Daryl Dixon being as gentle to babies as he was.

"You do that so well," She commented.

He glanced up at her and his cheeks turned a faint red, "I been 'round babies before. I like kids," He said.

Judith finished her bottle and Beth took it from him so that he could burp Judith. Judith gave a good burp and Beth went to take her back from Daryl when she noticed the milk stain on Daryl's shirt where Judith had burped it back up. She snickered and he frowned at her.

"What'cha laughin' at?" He asked.

She pointed to his shirt, "Judith threw up on you a little. Let me go put her down. One second and I'll help you," She said.

She took Judith over to her sleeping bag to lay her down while she fixed up another spot right next to hers on the floor. The little girl's eyes were already starting to drift as she finally had a full belly and Beth kissed her forehead as she placed her onto her makeshift bed. She had to laugh slightly at Daryl as she walked back over to the bar and saw him trying to swipe at the milk with a rag.

"This shit stinks," He muttered.

"Here, let me see it," She reached for the rag and stood behind him, swiping at the milk vomit. "It really needs to be rinsed out for the smell to go away."

He shrugged, "I'll change it later."

"Suit yourself," She said.

She started to walk away but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. She glanced down at the contact and then back up at him. He released her wrist, "Ya did good today," He commented.

She gave him a small smile, "You really think so?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Might jus' have ta get ya a crossbow or somethin' like mine so's we'll match," The corner of his lip turned up and she could see that he was teasing her.

"Do they make pink crossbows?" She teased back.

He frowned, "What is it with women an' pink?"

She shrugged, "It's a good color."

"Don't ever see ya wearin' it."

"Doesn't mean I don't have any on!" She shot back.

His gaze instantly dropped to her shirt and she blushed to the roots of her hair. _Why had she opened her big mouth?_ She crossed over to the bar and began rummaging in their bag for something to eat. She was starving all of a sudden but it wasn't for food. The way he had looked at her had made her body tingle in a way that she had never experienced before.

"So which one is it?" He asked, his hot breath close to her ear. She was pretty sure she wouldn't ever say anything else to Daryl Dixon, _ever_.

He chuckled, "Cat got yer tongue?" He asked.

She turned around and glared at him, her arms crossed in front of her. _Fine. If he wanted to know, then she would very well let him have it and she couldn't wait to see his face._

She smiled, "My panties are pink Daryl. Want to see them?"

His eyes glazed over for a minute and then the flush of red crept into his face and she winked at him boldly. She turned back to the food and selected two cans of soup. She tossed one to him and he caught it with one hand, his eyes still on her. They ate silently standing at opposite ends of the bar. They were both hungry. Even though they had brought food with them earlier, they had never gotten around to eating it. They both finished and she tossed their empty cans into a bag.

"Well, I guess I'm going to bed. Goodnight," She said.

He cleared his throat, his eyes meeting hers, "No goodnight kiss?" He asked.

She was floored. Having Judith back _had _really improved his mood. She bit her lip and tried to decide if he was kidding or not. She figured not. Daryl didn't seem like the type to joke about intimacy. That had been his brother Merle's job.

"Alright."

She crossed over to him and again he closed his eyes as she leaned in. She could feel his breath hot on her face as she touched her lips to his. This time he shifted slightly and she found herself kissing him a little harder than the last time. His lips tasted like the chicken soup they had just eaten. She laid her hand upon his cheek, feeling the roughness of the hair there as she pulled away. His expression was serious, his eyes half open. For someone who didn't like affection and touching, he was really good at it. She wanted to know what it felt like to have his hands on her but she knew it was too soon. She wasn't even sure if he would want her like that. She would just have to settle for the kisses unless he made further advances.

"Goodnight Daryl," She whispered.

"G'night."


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi all! Wow! It's been quite a couple of days that I've had over here! I hope you all are still with me as I'm trying to completely recover from a sickness that overcame me all at once. Ugh! I hate those kinds! Anyway, I've got some delicious stuff for you here so I hope you like it. Remember to throw me a review if you do, we need some Deth love! Maybe now that I'm on the mend again, I'll get out another update much sooner next time! Y'all still with me? Shall we continue on this little journey? ;)**

* * *

The rain pounded down on the tin roof of the bar, the noise driving itself into Daryl's thoughts. It had been a quiet day between the three of them. He had decided that they should stay another day, the rain not making for very pleasant traveling weather. It was hard enough to find a safe place under normal weather conditions but to find one in the pouring rain? That would be a pain in the ass.

Staying cooped up inside of the bar was proving to test his nerves in every way imaginable. First, there wasn't a damn thing to do inside of the bar. He had been all over the place since they had eaten breakfast and the most he had come up with had been two bottles of a very cheap vodka. Not much excitement there. Second, he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of Beth all day long. He had watched her playing with Judith, feeding her, and changing her diaper. It bothered him that he was becoming fixated on her. He wasn't sure if it was owing to the fact that they had kissed twice now or if he was just losing his mind.

He had always had the ability to keep himself emotionally distanced from people. He had never _needed_ anyone either sexually or emotionally. He was perfectly fine by himself and up until a week or so ago that was how he had liked it. Now he wasn't so sure. The fact that the two of them could be taken from him again scared the shit out of him. As much as it pained him to admit it to himself, he liked having them around.

Then there was the sexual part. It didn't help that Beth had put on a pair of jeans that seemed to hug her ass like a second skin or the fact that when she had bent over in front of him to grab Judith's formula earlier, he had needed to excuse himself to go look out of the window. His cock had been at half-mast all day and that was only because he had been struggling with everything in his power to keep it down. It had been a battle, and as the day dragged on one that he found himself losing more and more.

To top it all off he was down to three cigarettes and he had been smoking sparingly. The lack of the nicotine that his body was craving was making him irritable. Then combining that with the fact that he was wanting things that the body shouldn't, he was a cannon waiting to go off.

* * *

Beth wasn't sure what was up with Daryl today. He had gotten up before her and Judith this morning, already outside walking the perimeter when she had went looking for him. Then it had started pouring outside and he had decided that they would be staying at least one more night before moving on.

All day she had been able to feel his eyes on her, the heat of his gaze sliding along her body like a caress. It made her feel all warm inside and there was a moistness between her legs that she wasn't entirely used to. Every time she had glanced his direction, he had looked away quickly. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

Now she had just finished changing Judith's diaper and was rocking the little girl to sleep for the night. Judging from the heaviness in her eyelids, it definitely wouldn't be long until the goal was accomplished. Judith sucked on her pacifier slowly as her eyes began to drift and she fought to keep them open. Beth smiled down at her and rubbed the little girl's hand with her fingers. The touch seemed to soothe Judith until eventually the pacifier stopped moving and Judith sighed into sleep, not a care in the world. Placing a kiss to her head, Beth set her down on her little pallet and went in search of something to nibble on.

She wasn't so sure if she was hungry or just bored at this point though. Judith had done a lot to keep her entertained but her focus had constantly shifted to Daryl who always seemed to be two steps away from her all day. His very presence was electric. She could _feel_ him anytime he was nearby.

As she walked over to the bar, she saw that he was sitting on one of the stools holding something between his hands. She frowned as she walked closer, trying to see what it was. She sat down on one of the barstools, leaving one empty in between them and tried to figure out what he was doing. She nearly jumped out of her seat when a shotglass slid down the bar and stopped just in front of her. She looked down at it, realization kicking in. He was drinking the liquor he had found earlier.

He looked up then and their eyes met, his strikingly blue ones piercing into her in that way he had. He gestured with a nod towards her glass, "Drink?"

She bit her lip, unsure if this was a good idea. They were relatively safe and Judith was asleep but she still didn't know if she should. She didn't have a high tolerance for alcohol at all. she finally shook her head, deciding against it.

He smirked, causing her gaze to snap back up to his with a frown, "What?" She asked.

"Nothin'," He murmured.

_Well that did it. _She narrowed her eyes, "Tell me," She insisted.

He shrugged, swiveling the stool around to stare at her full on, "Didn't peg ya for a prude."

She gasped, "I'm not a prude!" She declared. _How dare he?_

He chuckled, "Thought ya farm girls knew how ta live a little," He said.

Where was this coming from? She glanced at the bottles, trying to access how much he had drank already. She knew there had been two full bottles earlier. There was at least a fourth gone from one bottle so she knew he was probably feeling brave. She wasn't sure how high his tolerance for alcohol was though. It wasn't like they had had a neverending supply readily available at the prison.

He turned back around to face the bar, grabbing up the bottle and gesturing to her, "Well? Wha'dya say? Gonna drink with me, or is I gotta drink alone?"

She looked from the bottle and then back to him, trying to figure out the best approach. A part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind and have a drink with him but the other part, the voice of reason, thought it might be a bad idea. He started to set the bottle back down when her hands reached out on their own accord and grabbed it, stopping him. He lifted a brow as she took the bottle and poured herself a shot in the glass in front of her. She slid the bottle down to him and he poured himself another shot.

He raised his glass and smiled, tipping it forward slightly to clink against hers in a toast. She smiled back at him as she took a sip of the clear liquid, quickly coughing as it burned down her throat.

He snorted, "Ya gotta chug it. Like this," He picked up his glass and downed the liquid in one smooth gulp. He didn't even flinch as he sat the empty glass down. He stared at her, waiting for her to copy.

She took a deep breath. _She could do this, right? It was just a shot._ Somehow it felt like more though. It felt like a rite of passage somehow. Like a _test_. She grimaced and held the glass to her lips, _feeling_ him smirk next to her. Her eyes flicked to his and she forced herself to swallow the rest of the strong liquid. She held back the urge to cough as she set the glass back down. She could feel the alcohol burning a trail down her esophagus to her belly.

Next to her Daryl nodded approvingly, "Ya ain't so bad after all kid," He commented.

She tensed, "I'm not a kid!" She cried. _Jesus, was she going to be stuck with that label for the rest of her life?_

"Yeah...I know," He muttered.

She wondered what he meant by that. She wished she knew what was going on inside of his head. For such a simple man, he sure could be confusing sometimes. She figured it best to keep those thoughts to herself though. No sense in getting him all riled up. He went to fill up her glass again and she shook her head, covering it with her hand.

"Ya pussyin' out on me already?" He complained.

She nodded, "Yep. Can't keep an eye out for Judith if I'm drunk. I think I'm going to go lie down."

He swirled his stool around completely, "C'mere," He said gruffly, his voice sounding sleepy.

She paused, unsure of what he wanted. It wasn't every day that he asked her to come to him. Still, she found herself walking over until she was just in front of him, his boots propped up on the ledge around the bottom of the bar. He looked like sin and she felt that heat coursing through her again that she had felt earlier in the day.

He leaned forward, his hands reaching out to grasp her hips, pulling her forward until she was flush against the opening of his legs. His eyes, narrowing to slits with the blue barely visible, pierced her skin and she shivered involuntarily. His breath was warm and smelled of the alcohol that he had been drinking as he regarded her.

"Can't leave til I get my g'night kiss," He muttered.

Her lips parted to respond to his statement when his descended upon hers. She hadn't ever kissed him open-mouthed before and she mewled softly as his tongue snaked inside of her mouth, invading her senses. His hands didn't move from her hips although his thumbs began to stroke her in small circles through the fabric of her jeans. Tentatively, she stuck her tongue out, doing some stroking of her own. She wasn't very experienced with it, but she was going with it and hoping she didn't look like an idiot. Her efforts were rewarded when he growled deep in his throat and his hands tightened their grip on her hips. His mouth was so warm and oh so sweet. She never wanted it to end. Unfortunately he finally pulled back, his chest heaving and he leaned back against the counter. She steadied herself between his legs, not quite sure that she should attempt to walk at that point.

He leaned forward again and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, "G'night," He said.

She drew in a shuddering breath, "Goodnight Daryl," She whispered.


	15. Chapter 15

Daryl's hand slid down her thigh as he nuzzled his face into her neck. She could feel the roughness of his fingers as they trailed over her skin, leaving trails of fire everywhere they touched. He glanced up at her and their eyes met, his gaze intent and breathtakingly hot. She shivered and he smirked at her before dipping his head to brush soft kisses across her neck. His lips were warm and wet against her neck. Her body felt like it was a sea of fire, a raging inferno with no way to fan the flames. His teeth grazed her neck and he sucked softly on her skin there, marking her for all the world to see.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, reveling in the feel of the hard muscles bunching and shifting beneath her fingertips. It amazed her at how fit and hard his body was. He was in incredible shape. She moaned as his mouth connected with hers, his tongue gliding against hers, tangling together. He was exactly how she had imagined him being since the first time they had kissed. He was perfect and he was hers.

He stripped off her layers of clothing until she lay bare before him. She lay there, slightly embarrassed to be naked in front of him but he wasn't looking at her face. Instead he was staring at her body, drinking it in with her eyes. He was so intense that she could almost _feel_ his gaze on her skin. He stood up and began to shed himself of his clothing. She stared in silence as he removed the layers, not being able to tear her eyes away from him for even a second. Once he was naked, he stood still for several moments, allowing her time to look. He crawled back down to her and began kissing her again as his fingers skimmed her breasts, leaving a trail all the way down until he lingered between her legs. He circled around the hair there, a small smile playing on his lips. She bucked her hips up, not quite sure why she was doing it, but knowing that she needed some sort of relief. Her whole body ached. He winked at her and bent his head to take her nipple into his mouth at the same time that he inserted one long finger into her slick folds...

Beth awoke with a start at the sound of Judith's cry. She sat up, reaching for the little girl to calm her down. She wondered what time it was. Glancing around she saw that Daryl wasn't in his sleeping bag. She figured he must have stepped out for a bit like he usually did most mornings. It surprised her that he was up before her considering all that he had drunk the night before. Then again, she really didn't know a whole lot about him still.- She picked Judith up and carried her over by the bar, rummaging around for the formula so that she could mix her a bottle.

As she mixed the contents together she saw that they were running really low on water. Since there wasn't any running water here, they were having to dip into their drinking supply to wash their hands and rinse Judith's bottles out. It was using twice the amount of water that they would normally use.

As she placed the nipple of the bottle into Judith's mouth and the little girl began to quiet down, she took a seat on one of the stools at the bar. She stroked the little girl's cheek with one of her fingers gently and Judith paused in her sucking to smile up at her. Beth returned the smile, her heart warming. She was so glad to have Judith back. She had missed the little girl so much. Judith was the future and Beth could only hope that there would be something left of the world by the time the little girl grew up.

She was just beginning to burp Judith when the door to the bar burst open and Daryl came running inside with something slung over his shoulder. She stood up with a worried expression and quickly set Judith down to play on a blanket on the floor with her toys.

"Beth!" Daryl yelled. He almost ran into her as he came barreling around the corner, his breathing heavy. He was close enough now that she could see that he had a body slung over his shoulder. He gestured towards the bar, "Move this shit! Ain't got much time!" He barked out.

Spurred on by his words, she hurriedly swiped the bar clean, sending things crashing everywhere to the floor. She wondered what was going on. From what she could tell the person was male and appeared to be young but she couldn't see their face. Then Daryl hurriedly placed him down onto the bar and she got a good look at their face.

_Carl_.

* * *

Looking back, Daryl wasn't entirely sure how it had happened.

He had woken up with a pounding headache this morning and upon searching the box of medicine he found some aspirin that he downed with some water. He grabbed his bow and set out, intent on heading to that creek that he and Beth had encountered on their search for Judith. He had noticed that they were running dangerously low on water and figured that they needed to stock up before they headed out. Making sure the building was secure before he left, he took out the few stragglers lurking around and set out towards the creek.

It hadn't taken him long at all to find it again. On his own, he had made significantly better time than if he had let Judith and Beth come along. He had the empty gallon jugs in a pack on his back and he had just set his pack down to try to fill them. That's when he had noticed him.

At first glance he had thought it was a walker but on closer inspection, he had found that it was indeed a live person. A live person lying facedown in the edge of the water on the other side of the creek. He squinted, thinking that he was imagining things, but it was there. It also wasn't moving.

Using a couple of rocks as stepping stones, he crossed the creek and knelt down to prod at the body. There was a faint gurgling sound and small bubbles floated to the surface of the water. Startled, he had rolled the body over only to almost fall backwards into the creek running between his feet. Carl's pale face stared back up at him, barely recognizable but Daryl would have known that face anywhere. He was battered, bruised, and his lips were dangerously blue. Daryl reached his fingers down to Carl's neck and was relieved to find a very faint pulse radiating beneath his fingers. He picked Carl up made his way back across the creek, his pulse racing. As soon as his feet hit the other side of the creek he was running back towards the bar, leaving the pack behind.

His heart was thundering in his chest so hard it was almost blocking out all other noise around him. He had burst through the door, yelling for Beth, desperate to save the boy who had somehow managed to make it as far as he did. It was nothing short of a miracle. Except when he set him down, he could no longer find the faint pulse and he knew they were losing him. Daryl was losing him again.

As he tried to breathe life back into the boy, he cursed himself for leaving him there._ How had he missed Carl?_ He was pretty sure he hadn't. He remembered seeing the boy lying there dead. _Right?_ He performed chest compressions on him, second guessing himself now. _What if there had been others that had also been alive? Did he not check well enough_? He was almost in a frenzied panic as Beth stood next to him, helplessly watching him try to bring Carl back around. She subconsciously stroked a hand through Carl's hair as Daryl breathed into his mouth again.

"Come on! Dammit!" Daryl yelled. "Ya didn't fuckin' make it this far jus' ta give up Carl!"

He performed the chest compressions again and again even though he knew there was no hope. He stepped away from Carl, feeling utterly defeated.

"No!" Beth shouted.

She lunged for Carl but Daryl caught her around the waist, "He's gone," He muttered in her ear.

He felt her still in his arms and then she gasped. "No! His chest is moving! It's moving!"

* * *

**Sorry it's so short! I'll update soon though, I promise!**

**Yes, yes I did end it there. I know, I'm so so SO evil. So now we have the possibility of Carl. Which begs the question: Are there others? Hmm...Guess we'll have to wait to find out. Maybe Daryl didn't look as good as he thought? I mean, there was a lot going on and he was bleeding pretty heavy. I don't know...We shall see! How did you like Beth's sexy little dream at the beginning? Good, huh? **

**Review me, hate me, just leave me something you lovely people! ;) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry for not updating yesterday! I didn't mean to leave y'all hanging for so long, honest! Yesterday was my birthday and I got caught up in the celebrations then by the time I got home, I was too tired to write. This is one of those chapters that I'm not completely happy with but I feel is necessary to move forward with the story. It's not terrible (I don't think), I'm just not completely satisfied with it but I'm going to post it anyway. If I don't, I'll just sit here and pick at it until it's a bloody mess. That's just how I am. **

**Some of you have expressed concern that Carl is back and it's not the three of them anymore. I have my reasons for bringing Carl in so no worries. He won't be interfering with their little romance. ;-) Y'all need to have faith in me, LOL! Anyway, I hope it's not too bad and that you'll leave me a little review love. Oh, and did I mention that you all were AWESOME?! Check out the reviews so far. Wow. Speechless at the amount considering we aren't that far into our story yet. **

**Last thing-I mentioned this story was going to get a little dark and unexpected at times so just keep that in mind. I promise not to totally crush your feels but I may make you want to throw something at me from time to time. Okay, I'm done now. :-)**

* * *

Daryl froze at Beth's words. Time seemed to run in slow motion as he turned and saw that indeed Carl's chest was rising and falling. Then he coughed and groaned, causing the both of them to run over to his side. Carl's eyes were open and he was staring blankly at the ceiling as if he were trying to figure out where he was. Then he blinked and looked over at the two of them.

"D...Daryl?" His voice came out raspy sounding.

Daryl nodded, his body a swirl of emotions but he was careful not to let them show, "Ya like a damn splinter kid. Always showin' up when it's least expected," He said.

Carl tried to smile, but then groaned and began to heave. Daryl quickly pushed him to his side as Carl dry heaved over the side of the bar. Beth disappeared for a moment and then came back with a bottle of water.

She touched Carl's hand, "Here. Try to drink some of this water," She coaxed.

With Daryl's help, they were able to get Carl to drink a few sips of water and then he lay back down onto the bar. He closed his eyes but Daryl could still hear him breathing so he didn't panic. He wanted to ask the kid so many questions but he knew now wasn't the time. They had to assess his injuries first and foremost and then there would be time for questions later. He hoped.

"Gonna check ya for injuries," Daryl muttered. Carl's shirt was stuck to his skin in various places where blood had dried and hardened. Daryl turned to Beth, "See if we got some kinda gauze an' somethin' ta clean these wounds with," He said.

She nodded and began rummaging through the box of medical supplies that they had on the inside. Daryl grimaced as he worked the shirt loose from the boy's skin in several places. It opened up several wounds that began to bleed freely. Finally he got frustrated and grabbed his knife from his pocket, cutting the shirt free from Carl. The shirt was useless anyway and he was pretty sure they could find him another to replace it. Beth came back with a few small pieces of gauze.

"We don't have anything to clean it with," She said.

Daryl frowned. They didn't need to run the risk of Carl getting an infection. He could hardly believe the kid had even managed to make it this far. He wasn't about to give up on him this easily. As he removed the cut pieces of Carl's shirt from his body, he remembered the Vodka that they had drunk the night before.

"Grab me that alcohol at tha end of tha bar," He demanded more harshly than he had intended. He reached out and tapped Carl on the cheek, trying to bring him around. The boy's eyes finally flickered up at him, full of pain and anguish so intense that Daryl sucked in a breath. "I need ya ta drink some of this alcohol. Gonna help dull tha pain. I'm fixin' ta clean these an' I ain't gonna lie, it's gonna hurt like shit," Daryl told him.

Carl's eyes flitted to the bottle that Daryl was holding and then back over to Daryl. He swallowed and slowly nodded. Beth reached under his head and held him up while Daryl coaxed him to drink as much of the alcohol as possible. They had to stop several times so that Carl could cough, the action shaking his whole body. Finally, Daryl deemed him to have enough and Beth lowered his head back to the counter.

Daryl locked eyes with Beth and she grabbed Carl's hand and nodded, understanding what he wanted her to do without him speaking. With her free hand, she began to brush her fingers through his hair, muttering to him and Daryl set to work. The first drop of alcohol that hit Carl's wound had the boy arching upwards, his body bowing as tight as the string on a violin. Daryl saw no need to stop though. It would only prolong his torture to pause between each wound so he did them all one after the other until finally Carl's body relaxed.

"I think he passed out," Beth said.

"Good. Cause one o' these requires stitches an' I need ya sewin' skills," Daryl said.

She let go of Carl's hand and went for the materials needed to stitch Carl up. Daryl worked on the other bandages as she stitched, the room gone quiet. He only paused for a second to look down at Judith who had gone to sleep on her blanket on the floor. It took a while, both of them working together before they finally got all of his wounds clean and Beth made another pallet on the floor that Daryl lowered him onto.

He stepped outside to smoke and a few seconds later, he heard Beth step out behind him. It was late afternoon, the position of the sun indicating that there were only several hours of daylight left.

"Where did you find him?" Beth asked softly.

Daryl sighed, "Facedown in tha creek. Thought he was a walker at first," His mind began playing back the events of the morning, turning them over in his mind.

Beth frowned, "I don't understand how he made it this far. We're a long way from where...where it all happened."

Daryl nodded, "I know. My thoughts too. Not unless he's jus' been walkin' through tha woods this whole time an' it's some kinda fuckin' miracle that I jus' happened upon him," He took a long draw from his cigarette, letting the nicotine calm his nerves. His fingers were still stained with Carl's blood but he ignored it. That was the least of his worries at the moment.

Beth rubbed her hands over her arms, "Stranger things have happened I suppose. I can't imagine him walking this far, but it's possible. Poor thing. I bet he's half starved."

Daryl leaned against the building, staring blankly at the sky. Not too much surprised him anymore really. They had so many crazy things happen on a daily basis that you had to learn to roll with the punches. He finished his cigarette and tossed it to the ground, stepping on it with his boot.

"Some of his wounds weren't as fresh as tha others," He commented.

Some had looked like they could have been a few days old. Carl could have possibly been wandering blindly through the woods and had somehow managed to run into the creek. He didn't know. Neither of them knew what happened. That was all Carl's story and they would have to wait until he was better to hear it. They would need more food now that they had Carl and their supply was already low from being there a couple of days already.

He stood up straight, "I'm gon' go out an' see what I can scrounge up for dinner. Ya gon' be okay here?" He asked her.

She nodded, but it didn't look very convincing. He turned to go inside for his crossbow when her tiny fingers wrapped around his arm, halting him. He stared down at her, wanting to kiss her again but he didn't dare. He wasn't so sure that he could control himself at the moment with the way his emotions were jumping all over the place. He needed to get away for a few hours, clear his head and try to find them some meat to eat.

* * *

She wasn't sure what compelled her to grab his arm. Maybe she just craved the physical connection, the electricity that ran through her body whenever she touched him. She knew he could feel it too. It was in his eyes every time they touched. He stood there now, looking down at her, waiting on her to make her move.

She was putting herself out there by being so bold. She had no idea that if she tried to kiss him if he would pull away or return the kiss. They had only ever shared the one kiss at night but it wasn't night now and there was no reason for her to kiss him. Except that she wanted to feel his lips on hers again; she wanted to feel it like she had in her dream last night.

He was still there, staring at her and she realized that she was standing completely stiff like an idiot. So she reached up, placed her hand on his neck, and tugged a little. She sucked in a breath as he bent, his lips coming forward to meet hers. She could smell him, the scent of tobacco and something woodsy that was now familiar to her. His lips were warm and she opened her mouth slightly beneath him, inviting him in. He obliged and she moaned as his tongue snaked inside. Something in him changed and he lifted her, his hands under her ass as he shifted so that her back was against the wall and he was pressing into her. She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him for all she was worth. She never knew which kiss might be her last with him so she wanted to make them all count. She touched her tongue to his, tangling them together as he reached up with one hand to twine his fingers into her hair. Her body was burning again and she involuntarily bucked against him making him growl deep in his throat. He pressed himself further against her and her head fell back against the building as she moaned. She had never felt anything so good in her life. He dipped his head, sucking gently at the flesh of her neck and she was completely lost in the moment. Suddenly, he pulled back and she blinked to bring things back into focus. His eyes were dark and his breathing heavy but he didn't release her. She could still feel him pressed against her and it felt so good.

"Daryl," She whispered.

He swallowed hard and then leaned his head forward until his forehead touched hers, "We can't do this here," He rasped. She nodded, hating it but knowing that the moment was over. His hands squeezed her hips and he closed his eyes for several seconds.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

He nodded, "Jus' need a fuckin' minute," He smiled shyly.

"Take your time," She responded. She didn't care if he took all day. She was perfectly content to remain wrapped against him for however long he wanted to take. His arms were strong around her and made her feel safer than she had in a long time. She unconsciously trailed her fingers across the hair on his arms, thinking about touching him everywhere.

"Ain't gonna never leave ya keep doin' that. Don't think ya want ya first time ta be outside up against a buildin'," He remarked.

She blushed, dirty images popping into her head of them going at it against the wall. It made the heat within her grow. "Sorry," She whispered.

He eased her down until she set her feet upon the ground shakily. "S'alright," He rubbed his eyes with his shirt. "I shouldn't be gone long. Keep as quiet as possible til' I return, alright?" He asked.

"Okay."

He seemed different to her now, although she couldn't quite put her finger on it. He obviously wanted her as much as she did him, but he was right; now wasn't the time. He released her finally and ducked inside to grab what he needed. He returned several minutes later and she was still in the same spot he had left her in.

He nodded his head towards the door, "Jude's awake. Stay inside til' I get back, okay?" He asked.

"We'll be fine. Just make sure you come back." It always scared her when he took off on his own. She would worry until he returned even though she knew that he was more than capable of taking care of himself.

He lingered for a minute and then sighed, "Well getcha ass inside then," He said gruffly.

She entered the building, a small smile on her face. Baby steps. They just had to take baby steps and then maybe soon they could do more. At Judith's cry, she hurried off to tend to the little girl.

* * *

**I don't know if any of you are Meth fans as well, but I started another fic called, Hands of Steel. Check it out if you're interested. It could use a little love. Thanks everyone! **


	17. Chapter 17

**So I bet you all thought I was gone, huh? I apparently forgot to put in my Author's Note here that I would be out of town until Monday night(last night) and that I would have an update out sometime today. I put it on the other fic but then I realized too late that not everyone is reading that fic so I apologize to those of you who thought I had abandoned this one. That isn't the case at all! I've just been so tired all day today but I've finally managed to throw together a chapter for you all. Again, it may be less than mediocre because of how tired I am but I hope it will hold you over until I can get something better up. I've got some ideas for this fic I've been mulling over in my brain but you all may not like them. ;) I'll just say again that I do like the happy moments and I like smut but I also like keeping people on their toes so don't be surprised if I throw a wrench in here somewhere! With that being said, I am back home now so updates should resume in a somewhat normal fashion again. Thanks!**

* * *

Daryl wandered through the woods behind the bar aimlessly. He was more distracted than he usually was when he hunted but he couldn't seem to help it. Every time he tried to focus, the memory of lifting Beth against that wall and kissing her invaded his mind. He wasn't quite sure what they were doing with each other or where it was supposed to lead, but he did know that every time they kissed, he had to work to control his raging hormones. It wasn't an easy task. His mind was telling him that it was wrong and he shouldn't want her, but his body was fighting for her every step of the way. This was uncharted territory for him. He had never had this problem before. He was hoping that this hunting expedition would help to clear his head a little.

Then there was the matter of Carl. Every time he thought about the kid, he felt a twinge of guilt. He had thought that he had scoured that battlefield thoroughly, but somehow he hadn't noticed that Carl was alive. He remembered _seeing_ Carl lying on the ground, but he didn't remember him moving. He wished that he had taken more time now to check everyone. There might have been some way to save some of the others. At the time he had been positive that everyone was gone, but with Carl's appearance, he was starting to doubt himself. Some of the events were still a little jumbled for him. Everything that had occurred had happened so fast. It really had been a suicide mission for the group but at least the Governor was gone. That was one fact that Daryl was _a__bsolutely _sure of. It didn't seem like a fair trade but at least the others hadn't died in vain.

He came across several walkers but he barely blinked as he took them out. It wasn't like they were much of a challenge anymore. They pretty much all went down the same way with a knife or a similar object through the head. The only time it really required any concentration on his part was when there were two or more walkers. That was the time you needed to pay a little attention so that one didn't take a bite out of you while you were killing the other. Thankfully the ones he encountered today weren't in groups. They stumbled through the forest on their journey alone.

His eyes darted to the tree in front of him as a squirrel scampered halfway up the bark. It stopped to fidget and twitch and Daryl aimed his bow at the animal. Ten minutes later, he had two squirrels strung up on a string tied to his pants. After shooting the first squirrel, a second had run down the tree and Daryl had almost missed it. Shooting a squirrel required a lot of concentration and stillness, things he was normally quite good at except for today.

He sighed and continued on into the woods. He really hoped that he could find something of substance for them to eat. Having real meat for dinner would be a nice treat and the protein would be good for everyone.

* * *

Beth finished wiping and changing Judith before laying her down on a blanket for a little nap. Pretty soon the little girl would be taking less naps and they would need more things to entertain her. She had taken care of a lot of kids over her summer breaks when she had been in school so that came in handy when it came to Judith. She figured the little girl was likely behind a little developmentally from where she should be, but there wasn't a whole lot that could be done about it except to keep working with her on things. Beth had faith that she would catch up. Judith was at a slight disadvantage with not having the things that other people had taken for granted like her parents, a crib, and interaction with other babies.

It was hard to believe that it had been three months since Lori had passed. Beth hadn't been really close to Lori. It wasn't that she didn't like Lori, although she hadn't approved of some of the things the woman had done. She had heard the rumors about Lori being involved with Shane. It hadn't been easy for Lori after she got pregnant, especially since no one knew who Judith's real father was. Beth couldn't even make a guess. There were a lot of Lori's features in Judith, but she couldn't really see Rick _or _Shane in the little girl anywhere. Maybe over time, she would start to show features of one or the other. Beth hoped that it was Rick's but she guessed that at this point it didn't really matter anymore.

She stood up and crossed over to where they had laid Carl down onto a blanket. She knelt down and pressed her hand to his forehead. It was a little warm, but it didn't seem to be overly hot. She stared down at his bruised and battered face and her heart ached for the boy. She had no idea of what kind of tortures he might have endured to even make it this far or what had happened at all. He had to have been pretty bad off for Daryl to have mistaken him for dead though. She knew it was unlikely, but part of her wondered if there could be others of the group that Daryl might have missed. They hadn't discussed a lot of what had happened there. He had told her bits and pieces but she knew that he was keeping most of it from her on purpose.

She stood up and busied herself with organizing their supplies until Daryl returned. She wasn't sure what would happen now that they had kissed again, but she was hoping it wasn't just a one time thing and that he wouldn't overthink it. She also hoped that he was successful in his hunt because their food supply was dwindling. She glanced at Carl and Judith. With Carl showing up she knew that they would be at their current location for a few more days or at least until he was fit to travel.

* * *

Beth was dozing off with her head resting on her arms when she heard the rapping at the door. She jerked awake and ran a hand over her face, her eyes coasting over Judith and Carl's sleeping forms several feet away on the floor. She stumbled slightly and then made her way to the door. She started to open it and then paused, waiting to hear Daryl's voice first.

"It's me," Daryl's voice travelled through the door.

She let out a small breath and opened the door. Daryl slipped inside with a canvas of carcasses hanging from his belt. Apparently he had already skinned and cleaned them at the creek before coming back. He also had the jugs of water in his hand that he set down near the bar. He took off his belt and set it on the bar before pouring some of the water from the jugs into a sink they had plugged for their use.

She found herself suddenly a little shy around him and she hovered a bit, trying to think of something to say. She didn't think that through too well though because when he turned around he ran into her before she could get out of the way. He caught her boot with his and they tumbled backwards towards the bar. She tried to grab onto something for support but ended up only grabbing his shirt which didn't help their predicament. His hand shot out at the last minute and made contact with the edge of the bar while his other hand snaked around her waist to keep her from hitting the floor. Their bellies collided and the impact knocked the breath out of her a little. Blue eyes stared down into hers intensely and she became aware of the position they were in. She saw the moment that he did too and his eyes darkened to a bluish gray color that she remembered seeing earlier.

He slowly pushed with his hand until they were no longer leaning towards the floor and were once again standing upright, "Ya alright?" He asked.

She nodded, "Fine," She breathed.

He still hadn't removed his hand from its position at her waist and she really didn't want him to. She inched forward until she was molded against his body. She could feel something hard pressing against her belly and she sucked in a breath. Turning her head a little, she pressed a small kiss to the arm he still had extended towards the bar. His muscles twitched and something in his eyes flashed. Feeling brave she placed her hand upon his arm and rubbed his arm hair, reveling in the muscles that bunched there.

She tilted her head back to look into his dark eyes, "Please kiss me," She whispered.

His jaw twitched for several seconds before his head began to lower to hers and she closed her eyes, her lips parting. His lips were so soft and warm that she almost didn't feel them at first as he skirted them lightly across hers. She shivered and the hard pressure against her body intensified. He lifted her much as he had earlier and before she knew what was happening, she was flat on her back on top of the bar. Thoughts of Judith and Carl went out of the window as she focused only on Daryl and his touch. He was standing at the end of the bar, towering over her as her legs dangled off of the edge, trapped between his. He leaned down and kissed her, his tongue snaking its way into her mouth. Her hips lifted and she felt his hand upon her belly, stilling her movements. The pressure of his hand there only intensified the warmth coursing through her body.

She had no idea what she was doing but she knew that she needed _something_. She needed _more_. She tugged on her shirt until his hand slipped off and onto her naked belly. They both paused at the contact and she mewled softly underneath him. He had a look of indecision on his face so she arched her body so that his hand slid upward a fraction of an inch. Whatever they were doing felt right and she grabbed his face, kissing him the best that she could. Slowly his hand slipped up another inch and his fingers skirted her bra. She tried to keep him distracted with kisses. She didn't want him overthinking this.

She lifted herself again and his hand slid to cover her breast through the material of her bra. He groaned low in his throat and she moaned softly. His fingers traced her nipple through the thin cloth and she closed her eyes, breathing heavily.

The sound of Judith sneezing had them both freezing guiltily. Daryl's hand shot out from under her shirt like he had been burned and he moved away from her before she could so much as sit up. She tugged her shirt down, her face burning. The ache between her legs was now a throb and she wondered if this was how it felt to be sexually frustrated. It was pleasant yet infuriating all at once.

She checked on Judith but the sneeze hadn't woken the little girl up. Daryl walked over with the squirrels in his hands. He looked everywhere but directly at her face as he spoke, "I'm gon' get a small fire goin' ta cook this meat. If ya got anything ya wanta go with it, jus' get it together an' bring it on out. Tha quicker we get this done, tha better," He said.

She nodded, "Alright."

He stood there a moment longer like he had something else to add but then he just gave a slight nod and walked away from her, exiting out of the door to go outside. She sighed and went in search of something to throw together with the meat and make a meal. It was obvious to her that she wasn't getting much more out of Daryl tonight as he seemed to have shut himself down emotionally. She wished that things weren't so hard and that she could tell him that she had feelings for him. She wouldn't go so far as to call it love, but it was definitely stronger than friendship.

* * *

**Review me?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi loves! I know some of you probably expected this chapter yesterday but I had to think on it a bit more before I posted it. I don't want to cheat you guys and try to rush through chapters even though I know y'all are anxious to read them! I've got a little something for y'all at the end. (wink wink) I hope you like it and don't forget to tell me what you think! Maybe I'll get inspired to do another chapter later! :)**

* * *

It was later that evening before Carl stirred and opened his eyes. Beth and Judith had already retired to sleep some time ago, but Daryl had still been up because he couldn't sleep. Having Beth so close to him was torturing him in a way that he never thought possible. He considered himself good at quite a few things, but this was not one of them. He didn't know anything about having any sort of relationship whatsoever. He had heard enough from Merle and his friends over the years that he could probably fake his way through it, but he was hesitant. There was just something so accepting and innocent about her. He felt drawn to her in a way that he never had with Carol.

Carol had been his best friend in so many ways. Like him, Carol had had her share of hardships but there had never been that gravitational pull towards her like he was experiencing with Beth. He had once entertained the thought of maybe trying for a relationship of sorts with Carol but the feelings had just never been there. It had been strictly platonic even though he had had his suspicions that Carol had wanted more. It filled him with regret that he hadn't been able to save his friend. Those were the kinds of thoughts that plagued him at night while he tried to sleep.

Lately there was a new thought to add to the mix. He kept having dreams where he was kissing Beth and touching her all over. The dreams were so vivid to him that he would sometimes wake in a cold sweat with a raging erection. Unbeknownst to anyone else, he would silently stroke himself under the cover of his blanket mere inches from her. It was sweet torture but the only way he knew to keep from sporting a woody all day long.

So later that evening when Carl had begun shuffling around on his pallet on the floor, Daryl had walked over to him and discovered that he was awake. The boy stared up at him in the dim light of the lantern they kept on at night in case they had to get up for Judith.

"How ya feelin'?" Daryl whispered.

"Alright I guess. Starvin'," Carl's voice came out kind of ragged.

Daryl nodded, "Think ya can stand up? I can get ya to tha bar an' get ya a plate o' food. Gonna be cold though," Daryl said.

Carl sighed, "I think I can handle it. Been through worse things than this I reckon'." Daryl smirked and reached over to help Carl into a sitting position. The boy winced and Daryl paused but Carl shook his head, "Just do it. I need to move," He said.

Somehow Daryl managed to get Carl to a standing position and with his support, they made it to the stool by the bar where Daryl fixed him a bowl of the stew that they had had for dinner earlier. They sat quietly for a few moments, the only sounds being Carl's spoon scraping against the bowl.

Daryl waited until the boy was finished before speaking, "Wanna tell me what happened out there? How in tha hell did'ja make it here?"

Carl rested his head in his hands for several moments, "All I remember is I got hit during the attack. There was so much going on, ya know?" Daryl nodded at Carl to continue. "All around me everyone was dropping like flies and I tried to hold on Daryl, I did I-," Carl paused, his breathing harsh and Daryl waited for him to get control. After taking a sip of water he seemed to calm finally and he began speaking again. "I tried to hang in there but there was so much pain that I just stumbled around in the dark until I found a place to lie down. The last thing I remember is waking up in a strange place inside of a tent. At first I thought that I was with the group, that some of them had survived, but it wasn't our group."

Daryl frowned, "Who tha hell was it then?"

Carl shrugged, "My saviors," He replied. "I think they were indians or something. They have a person that they call a healer and he healed me. I...I didn't believe it at first but I was up and walking around so _quickly_. I still have scars from my wounds but those don't hurt. It was weird Daryl," Carl finished.

Daryl was confused. He had never heard of a _healer_ before. He needed more information from Carl though. "How did'ja end up facedown in tha creek?" Daryl asked.

Carl sighed and rubbed at his eyes. To Daryl he suddenly looked older than the kid that he remembered from the prison. He knew in reality it hadn't been that long but he thought that the recent events seemed to have aged Carl beyond his years.

"I stayed for a while with them but I started getting restless. I needed to see if there was anybody left. They took me back there to where it happened so I could search through the bodies," Carl swallowed hard and wiped at his eye but didn't cry. "I found everyone but you, Beth, and Judith. That's when I knew that you guys had to be out there somewhere and so I left. They gave me a few supplies but it didn't last. I thought that I was strong enough to handle it on my own but I almost got bitten a few times. I fell down a steep slope and that's where I got a lot of my scrapes. I ended up at the bottom of the bank in the creek. I think I blacked out, but I'm not sure," He said.

Daryl listened and took in everything that Carl was saying. It was hard for him to believe it but it must be true because Carl was here and very much alive. He was still a little confused by the whole situation though, "So how come this _healer_ person couldn't heal tha others?" Daryl asked.

"He said that their spirits were gone and their blood no longer flowed. Apparently I still had a faint pulse," Carl replied.

Daryl took a few moments to process this information. If they had healed Carl and willingly let him leave then that had to mean they weren't a threat to them. He wondered about these people. "So they ain't violent? They let'cha leave on yer own?" He asked Carl.

Carl nodded, "They didn't seem violent to me. Their leader is a guy that goes by the name of Sani, which they told me means, _the old one._"

Daryl wanted to ask more about these people but he saw Carl's eyes start to droop and the kid fought back a yawn. He realized that he had kept him up for a while talking, "Why don'tcha get ya some rest an' we'll talk some more tomorrow," Daryl said.

Carl nodded briefly and Daryl helped him back over to his pallet where he was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. Daryl looked over at the blonde on the other side of the room who was sleeping so close to his bed and he sighed. He might as well try to get some sleep, no matter how hard it would be.

* * *

It happened again.

She was running towards her family, trying to save them from the walkers and the Governor's people but she wasn't strong enough and as she watched, her family was taken from her again. She had been having this dream every couple of nights and the outcome was always the same. No matter what she did, she had to watch her family die over and over. She kept trying to change it even though deep in her mind she knew it was a dream. She whimpered as a walker took a bite out of Maggie and her sister's agonized expression met hers.

"Beth...wake up," She vaguely heard Daryl's voice whisper.

She tried to hang on to it but the dream kept trying to pull her back under. Finally she felt a hand on her shoulder and a shake. She opened her eyes to find Daryl staring down at her in the darkness. She touched her face and felt the wetness from her silent tears there. She shivered from the effects of the dream.

"Ya alright?" He asked softly.

She swallowed. No, she wasn't alright but she wasn't going to worry him and she nodded, "I'm fine," She mumbled.

"That why ya cryin'?" He asked in disbelief.

She sniffed as more tears spilled over and to her surprise he tugged her over to him and let her lay cuddled against him. That was all it took and she let herself sob quietly into his chest. She briefly felt his hand come to rest on her back and she drew comfort from it. She cried until she was sure her eyes were red rimmed and she couldn't cry anymore.

She pulled back, wiping at her eyes, "Thanks," She whispered.

He nodded in reply, but remained quiet, his eyes focused on hers. Something in the air changed and she felt that tugging warmth, that familiar pull towards him. She scooted closer until she was but a breath away and paused, searching for some sign that this was okay.

He sighed, "I can't."

"You _won't_," She replied.

"You don't understand," He said softly.

But she understood just fine. It was perfectly fine to kiss and tease her but that was all that he wanted, all that she was good for apparently. She knew it. "I _understand_ just fine Daryl," She huffed and started to roll back to her blankets.

"Dammit!" Daryl hissed as his hand shot out to drag her back to him. He pulled her snug against his body, his blatant erection pressing against her thigh, "What do ya want from me?" He growled.

She opened her mouth to reply but his lips crushed down onto hers and all thoughts fled from her mind as she sunk into his kiss. She let him kiss away all her demons and nightmares, chasing the shadows back where they belonged. She closed her eyes and let the sensations take her over. Twining her arms around his neck, she bucked against him and he hissed in a breath. She wanted him to touch her bare skin again. She wiggled out of her shirt before he even realized what she was doing.

"Fuck," He groaned as his eyes seared over her bare chest.

She didn't even have to beg. His lips descended down to her bare belly and he pressed a quick kiss there before making his way up to her chest. When his mouth closed over a nipple, she bit her lip to keep from moaning. He glanced up at her and put his hand over her mouth to muffle the noise. It only made her hotter and she was panting beneath him, the heat going beyond warm to scorching. He seemed to enjoy running his tongue over each of her nipples, making her squirm in response.

Finally he paused and looked at her through heated eyes, "I ain't..." He groaned and dipped his head. "We ain't got nothin'," He said finally.

She wasn't sure she could survive another round of this. She didn't know what she needed but she needed something. Her legs were quivering, "_Please_ Daryl," She whispered.

She hated to beg. She really did, but she just didn't think she would make it another day with this throbbing ache between her legs. He glanced down at her, obviously noting her trembling, "There's somethin' else I can do," He said suddenly.

His hand trailed downward and skirted the waist of her pants before inching underneath them. She sucked in a breath as his fingers found the juncture of curls between her legs. He rubbed his thumb over her slit and she arched upward, her body moving on its own accord. Slowly, he inserted one thick finger between her slick folds and they both let out simultaneous groans. She tensed slightly as he probed further. She wasn't used to the intrusion and she tried to remind herself that this was Daryl and he wouldn't hurt her. He dipped in further and she felt a little uncomfortable. Then he started stroking her back and forth slowly and she started to feel good again. His finger explored her and when he located the little nub inside of her, she grabbed his pillow and muffled her moans. Encouraged by her response, he rubbed the little nub with more pressure and she felt herself flush with heat. She panted, her hips arching against his hand. She moved the pillow and grabbed his head, pulling him down to her for a kiss.

She felt the sensation start slowly at first, pulsing within her, and then her insides were clenching around his finger and she was crying out into his mouth, hanging on for dear life as she rode out her passion. He growled low in his throat and when she finally pulled away, she collapsed back onto the blankets, exhausted. He removed his finger and lay back on the blankets beside her.

It took her a few minutes before she could speak, "That was _amazing_," She breathed.

Daryl smiled slightly beside her, "Yeah. It was."

* * *

**So...I know it wasn't the sex some of you were expecting but I am enjoying this slow burn. And don't worry, when they do get around to finally doing the deed, I'll make sure it's great! I hope this was enough to hold you over for a while! Although it may appear that Daryl know's what he is doing here, he really doesn't. We didn't get to see his POV this chapter but he was winging it from what he had heard from Merle and all of Merle's dirty friends over the years. More or less he was just responding to the way she moaned when he did certain things. Just know that when they do finally have sex, don't expect Cassanova and magic, LOL, it IS both of their first times, so their may be a little fumbling and awkwardness. I would like to keep this somewhat realistic. So what do you think about the people who had Carl? Want to know more about them? ;)**

**Reviews are love! *hugs***


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay y'all, I've agonized over this chapter enough for today and I'm just going to post it. Sorry it's taken me so long but I had to do a little research and brainstorming before I got this the way I thought it needed to go. I do ask however that you overlook any information about the people who healed Carl that appears incorrect. I get a lot of information from Google and we all know that sometimes things on the internet aren't as correct as we would like them to be. So that being said, please keep in mind that I am by no means an expert on any of this stuff but I do hope that the chapter is not completely dull! Thanks as always for all of the WONDERFUL reviews you all leave me every chapter! I know I don't get to respond to each of you personally, but please know that I read and thoroughly enjoy all of your comments! Y'all keep me going when I just don't know if I should! Thanks!**

* * *

It had been one week since they had found Carl and the boy seemed to be back to his normal self again. He was able to accompany Daryl on hunts and help Beth with Judith who he doted on.

Daryl had been giving a lot of thought into meeting the people who had taken Carl in and saved his life. He was curious about these people. The _healing_ that Carl had talked about baffled him. He had heard of things like witchcraft before but he didn't necessarily believe in them. He was very much a "see it to believe it" kind of person. It was time to move on from the bar anyhow. Their food supply was down to a few packs of crackers and some granola bars which wouldn't last the four of them long at all. It really wasn't meant to be a long term location and they needed something better, something more secure.

Beth had moved their pallets closer together ever since the night that he had touched her under their blankets. He didn't say anything about the fact that her bed was closer to his. He was still unsure how to go about the whole situation and they hadn't touched each other since that night aside from brushing against one another as they slept. More than once in the middle of the night he would wake up briefly to find her curled against him, her hair tickling his nose. Surprisingly he discovered that he didn't mind it that much. In fact, he found it kind of nice to have that warmth next to him throughout the night.

This morning he had woken up to find that everyone else was already up and moving around. He stretched and sat up, drawing their attention from the bar to him. Beth gave him a small smile and went back to cooing at Judith who was lying in her arms. He stood up and walked over to take a seat next to them.

"What are the plans for today?" Carl asked, his expression strictly business and very unlike his age.

"I figure we can try ta find them people who took ya in. Them indian people ya say healed ya," Daryl said.

Carl shrugged, "I think I could find them again. Why you want to find them?"

"I figure we need ta move on from here an' they might have some information on where ta go an' what's in tha area," Daryl replied.

"Sounds good to me," Carl said.

* * *

It took them a while but they finally managed to find the group of tents that were pitched in a clearing not too far from town. It had taken longer than expected because Carl kept getting confused about which way he had went but they had finally made it. They had left the vehicle near the highway and hiked the rest of the way. Daryl let Carl lead the way with Beth in between holding Judith and he took up the rear with his crossbow.

The first thing Daryl noticed was that the indians weren't like he had expected them to be. They didn't dress like all of the ones he had seen on TV but they did have long black hair and tanned skin. They were in an open field with multiple tents set up in a circle and a fire pit in the middle. He wondered how they managed to keep protected out in the open because it appeared that they weren't worried at all. There were several men walking around but Daryl also spotted a few women as well. He noticed that he didn't see any kids anywhere either.

A man with a small bow strapped to his back walked over to Carl as they approached the camp. Daryl watched through wary eyes as the man greeted Carl.

"Carl. I see you have found your people," The man looked over towards Daryl and Beth and Daryl watched as his eyes lingered on Beth appreciatively for several moments.

Instinctively, Daryl placed his hand at the small of her back before he even realized what he was doing. He stared at the man in warning but the man paid him no mind. They came to a stop next to Carl, "Daryl this is Sani that I was telling you about. He's the leader here," Carl glanced at Sani and then back to Daryl and Beth. "This is Daryl, Beth, and the little girl is my sister Judith," Carl explained.

Sani nodded to them, "These are the ones who were never found at the place of battle, correct?"

"That's right," Carl replied.

Daryl watched as another man with long greying hair approached Sani and spoke to him in a language that Daryl didn't understand. He gestured at Carl and Judith wildly. Sani nodded, his eyes flicking to Judith and then Carl. When the man finally grew quiet, Sani turned to them, "Sorry for the interruption. Alo says that Carl needs to be looked over and the little infant needs medication," Sani explained.

The man behind Sani stood still with his hands clasped in front of him and his eyes alert to his surroundings. He looked as if he had lived many years but Daryl wasn't sure if the man could be trusted. He didn't seem as if he was dangerous; in fact, he seemed very calm. Daryl felt Beth fidget nervously next to him and he almost reached out to comfort her but then stopped himself.

"Judith's not sick," She protested.

Sani smiled, "Alo knows all. You may not know it yet, but she is sick and will soon show symptoms. Alo does not lie and it would serve you well if you let him treat her," Sani explained.

"What tha hell does _Alo_ mean an' why should we believe anythin' ya say?" Daryl asked.

"Alo means _Spiritual Warrior_. He is our healer and has been around for many generations. Come, let us retire to my tent and we shall talk. Carl will stay with his sister and all will be well. They will be back before too long," Sani said.

Beth glanced at Daryl and he chewed on his thumb as he thought about how to proceed. It wasn't that the people looked violent or anything. In fact, they looked anything but. The only thing that made him the least bit wary of the situation was the way that Sani stared at Beth. That wasn't sitting too well with him. However, if this man was correct and Judith _was_ getting ready to get sick, then it would be best if they let the man treat her. They didn't exactly have the medicine to treat the little girl themselves.

"How come we can't go watch this _healer_?" Daryl asked.

"No one is allowed to watch as the healer performs. It takes total concentration and there should be no interruptions. They will be fine. You shall see," Sani replied.

Daryl nodded once at Beth and she handed Judith over to Carl who followed after the man they called Alo. Daryl and Beth followed Sani into a relatively large tent and took a seat on some pillows that were on the floor.

"So who keeps watch for walkers out here?" He asked Sani.

Sani appeared confused for several moments but then he smiled, "Oh, that's clever! I like to think of them as the Ahote, or _Restless Ones._ Alo will alert us of any impending _walkers_, as you call them. Aside from being a healer, he has visions as well. Those visions allow him to see the Ahote before they arrive," He explained.

"Yeah but he's what, like a hundred years old?" Daryl asked. He might be able to buy into the healer bit but the visions were hard for him to wrap his brain around.

Sani chuckled, "Actually to be quite honest, I'm not sure. None of us know quite how old he is. I assure you though that he has many more years left before he leaves this earth," Sani gestured to Beth. "Is she yours?" He asked Daryl.

Daryl frowned, "What ya mean, is she mine? We ain't married if that's what ya askin'." Beth's face turned three shades of red.

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant have you staked your claim on her? She is _untouched?_" Sani asked.

Daryl stood, not entirely sure if the guy was being offensive or not but he just felt like it was the right thing to do at the time. "I ain't sure we do things tha way yer people do here. I ain't so sure I wanna know what ya mean by untouched either," He told Sani.

"Daryl and I have known each other for a long time. Our _relationship _is complicated," Beth said softly.

Daryl stared at her. He wasn't sure what she meant either. Everyone around here seemed to be talking in circles or something and it was starting to drive him insane. The tent was starting to close in on him as well and he stepped outside, needing some air. He didn't know what Beth meant by complicated. _Was she expecting something from him? What kind of relationship was she talking about?_ For the first time in his life, he wished he had more experience when it came to women, although at this point he was feeling like all the experience in the world wouldn't be enough to help him here.

* * *

Beth started to go after Daryl but Sani held up his hand. "Just give him a moment. I'm sure he won't wander far. He seems to keep a close eye on you is why I was asking if he had claimed you."

Beth cleared her throat, suddenly a little shy under the man's piercing gaze, "We aren't really together but we aren't apart either," She smiled slightly. "Like I said, it's complicated."

Sani nodded, "Forgive me for being so bold, but you are a beautiful woman. If you're interested, I could take care of you," He said.

Beth bit her lip. She thought she understood where this conversation was going better now and she was glad that Daryl had momentarily stepped out. It wouldn't do for Daryl to upset the man and his group when they were being so kind as to help out Judith and Carl.

She shifted nervously, "That's a very kind offer but I think I'm going to have to decline," She said.

Sani smiled at her, showing a row of perfectly pristine teeth. He wasn't an unattractive man by any means and she couldn't really tell how old he was, but he wasn't Daryl. Daryl had captured her heart even if the man wasn't quite aware of that fact yet.

"The offer stands if you should decide to change your mind. No harm intended but you said that you weren't together so I just assumed that you were available." Sani said.

Beth blushed, "No. I'm not available. At least I don't think I am. I just have to wait for him to realize that," She replied.

Although at the moment that was appearing to be easier said than done.

* * *

**So what do you think so far? ;)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Alright, let's just say I got inspired to get this out after the last chapter. For those of you reading Hands of Steel, I'll try to get to it tomorrow. My feels were pulling me strongly to this one tonight and I was on a roll! I do hope you all enjoy this one! I worked hard to get it finished even though it's 12:30 am and I have to be up early for work. :-) Y'all are worth it though so I know y'all will show me the love!**

* * *

Daryl paced the small area outside of the tent. He had pulled out a cigarette and now he was smoking the hell out of it, trying to come to terms with everything they had heard so far. If the man that had Judith and Carl was really a healer then he didn't understand why he couldn't watch the man perform whatever it was that he did to them. That didn't make sense to him. Everyone there was so different. They almost walked around as if the walkers didn't even _exist_. Daryl could never let his guard down like that. In fact, he was watching the fields even as he paced.

He was so focused on his pacing and keeping an eye out that he almost didn't see Sani and Beth exit the tent until he almost ran into Beth. He noticed that Beth's face was red but he didn't make any comment about it. He would have to keep a close eye on Sani until he got a better read on him.

"I did not mean to make you upset. For that I apologize," Sani said to him.

Daryl scoffed as he finished his cigarette off, "I ain't upset."

Sani raised an eyebrow as if he didn't believe him but he made no argument. "Come, you all shall join us for supper and stay the night. A good night's rest will serve you well as you travel," Sani began walking towards some of the other tents. They bypassed several men and women walking back and forth carrying various things but no one stopped to speak to them. Sani stopped them at a much larger tent that was flanked by several other smaller tents. He gestured to the largest one, "This is my tent. If you shall need anything, you can usually find me here," He turned to Daryl. "This tent is open if you would like to store your things inside. I will see that you get a bedroll to sleep on." He walked over a few steps to a tent on the other side of his and turned to Beth. "You my dear are more than welcome to use this tent," He smiled at her and Daryl's jaw involuntarily clenched.

He cleared his throat, "She can sleep with me," He declared.

Beth turned to him in surprise but Daryl didn't meet her gaze. He was staring at Sani who was smiling and nodding. He didn't know why the man was smiling like he was but he wasn't about to leave Beth on her own in the tent right next to the man.

"Are you sure?" Beth asked him. He stared at her a minute before nodding. She smiled at him and he relaxed slightly. "When will Judith and Carl be back?" She asked Sani.

"I do not know. Each healing process is different. It would be safe to say at this point that you shall see them in the morning. They will be well taken care of until then. I give you my word and I do not give it lightly," Sani spoke solemnly, his expression serious. "Come. Let us eat and you can get to know some of our people."

Daryl let Beth pass before him and he followed behind them as they all gathered on logs around the low burning fire in the middle. An elderly lady with stark white hair passed out bowls of food and Daryl tried to make out what his was, but he didn't have a clue. He sniffed it but it didn't smell bad. He glanced at Beth who was also trying to identify their supper.

"Ain't try'na be rude, but what tha hell is it?" Daryl asked Sani.

Sani chuckled, "Deer stew. One of our hunters-" He pointed at a tall man across the fire who smiled at them. "caught it this morning," He said.

Daryl tasted a tiny bite and found it to be quite appealing. His stomach grumbled for more and pretty soon he had consumed the whole bowl, barely stopping to breathe.

"So all y'all got similar talents like healin' an' stuff?" Daryl asked.

Sani shook his head, "Not really. Just a few of us are blessed with gifts passed down from our ancestors. We are very fortunate to have Alo with us," He gestured to a man who sat a couple of spaces down from Daryl. "That's Kohana. Kohana means _swift_. He is fast and a very good hunter."

Kohana nodded at Daryl and Daryl returned the gesture. He was starting to relax a little now that he had eaten and he could see no immediate harm. There was the low hum of several people having conversations around the fire and he glanced over at the tent where he thought Carl and Judith to be. He could see the glow of light spilling underneath the flap and he wondered what was going on inside of there.

Beth touched his hand, bringing his thoughts back to the moment. "Are you alright?" She asked.

He nodded, "Fine," He replied.

She studied him for a minute and then removed her hand. He wanted to grab it and hold onto it, but he didn't and he felt the loss when she pulled away. He watched as a very petite woman sat down next to Sani.

"Daryl, Beth, I would like you to meet my wife Leotie," Sani said.

Daryl was taken aback. He hadn't gotten the sense that the man had a wife but inside he was secretly relieved. Maybe he had misinterpreted the man's interest in Beth after all. He let out a deep breath and nodded in greeting at the woman who smiled at them.

It was Beth who spoke up, "You have a w_ife_ and you were trying to _proposition _me?" She asked in a shocked voice.

Daryl stood up, his pulse racing, "He what?" He asked. He didn't wait for a response and instead moved to stand in front of Sani threateningly. "You _what_?" He asked the man.

Beth instantly stood up and grabbed his arm. Sani regarded him calmly, "Sit down and I shall explain," He gestured to the log that Daryl had abandoned only moments before. Beth tugged on his arm and reluctantly he sat. Sani stared into the fire for several moments before speaking, "Marriage doesn't mean the same to us that it does to you and your people. Here we are allowed several wives if we so choose to want them. It has nothing to do with sex at all. We simply have several wives who can all offer us different things. For instance, Leotie is a wonderful cook and she can sew anything you would like," He turned to Beth. "When I said that I would take care of you, I only meant that I would offer you protection and food. I did not expect sexual favors in return," He chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, sex is very enjoyable but the more time I spend with the two of you, the more I can see that Daryl _has _claimed you, even if he himself does not realize it."

Daryl scoffed, but at least he didn't feel like kicking the guy's ass like he had moments before. He stood up again, "We better get some rest. We'll be headin' out tomorrow," He said.

Beth stood up next to him, "Goodnight," She told the couple.

Sani smiled, "Sleep well."

* * *

Beth followed Daryl back to their tent. She could see the tension in his shoulders as he walked. He was angry and she wondered why he had reacted so strongly to her admission. She really hadn't meant to be so blunt and blurt it out loud but the admission that Sani had a wife caught her off guard. She could never see herself being one of someone's many wives. It may work for their people, but it would never work for someone like her. She saw that there were two bedrolls inside of the tent now and figured someone must have placed them there earlier while they ate.

She watched as Daryl took off his crossbow and placed it by one of the bedrolls. He began rolling them out and she took off her boots, a little nervous about being in such a small space totally alone with him. There was a small battery operated lamp that was turned down low to barely illuminate the small tent. There was no where to go but next to Daryl so she pulled back the blanket and crawled inside, unsure of herself. She stared off at the walls of the tent and a few minutes later she felt Daryl crawl under the covers next to her.

"Ya want me ta leave tha light on?" He asked.

She shook her head. She felt safe with him so close to her. Actually, she felt safe here in general. There was something about the relaxed nature of the group here that made her almost forget about the walkers. Daryl switched off the light and the tent was enveloped in total darkness, the only glimmer of light being from the fire that was off in the distance.

They lay there next to each other but she couldn't sleep. She couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not but she wasn't feeling tired at all. She was thinking back to the last time he had touched her and she felt her body growing warm.

"Daryl?" She whispered.

"Hm?" He grunted.

She swallowed, "Are we together?" She asked.

He went still beneath the blankets and she held her breath. He didn't respond for several minutes. "What'cha mean by that?" He finally asked.

She shuffled underneath the blankets and then rolled over until she hit his hard chest, "Exactly what I said. Are we _together_?" She dove in deep and decided to lay it all out. "I want to touch you," She whispered.

He groaned, "Dammit Beth!" He hissed in a breath as she dragged her hands down his chest to rest at the button of his jeans. His hand shot out and grabbed hers, stilling her movements. They stayed in that position for several moments, their breathing growing heavier. Finally he released her hand and growled low in his throat, pulling her head down to him so that her lips touched his. She moaned at the touch, her body already like a live wire. His tongue snaked into her mouth with a little more force than she expected but she quickly settled into his familiar warmth.

She pulled back the covers and straddled him, never breaking the kiss. She gasped as his erection rubbed against the very place that she needed the release. She rocked back and forth gently, not being able to stop herself. His hands moved to grip her hips and he held her steady, his breathing harsh. She pulled away to rock her hips harder, moaning a little at the sensations that coursed through her body. He rolled her over and onto her back, his dark shadow looming over her.

"Don't want this ta be over before it starts," He mumbled.

She swallowed hard and slipped off her shirt and pants, tossing them to the side of the tent. She grabbed for his hand and placed it on her panties. His fingers fisted in the material and he suddenly gave a strong yank and pulled them off. He moved away from her and she heard him removing his clothing. She started to snake her arms around his chest but he gently guided them back to his neck.

"Sorry," She whispered.

He didn't reply and she felt his hand between her legs and he slipped his finger inside of her, teasing her. She spread her legs a little, hoping that he would increase the pressure and she could get some relief. He shifted and she felt him against her leg and she gasped, sitting up and almost knocking her head into his.

"What tha hell?" He grumbled.

She tensed, a little embarrassed at her reaction to him. She couldn't s_ee_ him but judging from the way he felt against her, she was suddenly terrified that it wouldn't fit. She was glad that he couldn't see her face.

"You're so..._big_," She whispered.

His finger stilled, still partially inside of her. "It'll fit," He said.

She wasn't so sure about that but she trusted him so she let out a breath and lay back down on the blankets. He fumbled with the straps of her bra and she reached around behind her to unhook it, removing the last bit of clothing between them. She felt his warm breath on her breasts and then his mouth closed over one of her nipples and she stretched her body taut, whimpering beneath him. He suckled softly and she fisted her hands into his hair, holding him to her. Her body was a myriad of emotions and she felt like she might explode at any given moment. He pulled back and kissed on her neck, trailing his tongue back and forth across her skin, making her shiver. He continued to stroke her with his finger and soon she began to lift her hips up to meet his hand like before.

She wanted to touch him too, but she wasn't sure what he would allow or be comfortable with. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his neck, sucking at his salty flesh much as he had done to hers moments before. He growled low in his throat. He got up on his knees and removed his hand as if suddenly realizing something.

"I ain't got nothin'," He said.

Her eyes grew wide, "You mean a condom?" She asked. "I thought guys carried them in their wallets?"

He snorted, "I ain't like all them guys. Truth be told I ain't got lotsa experience in this department."

She was shocked. Was he trying to tell her that he was a _virgin_? _There was no way that Daryl was a virgin, was there?_ "What do we do?" She asked. She knew she didn't want to stop.

He sighed, "I can pull out or we can jus' do what we did a few nights ago," He offered softly.

She bit her lip, "I want to feel you," She whispered.

In response, he bent his head and kissed her belly before moving back to suck her nipples again. She closed her eyes and let the sensations overtake her. When she felt him move and the tip of him probe her entrance, she stiffened.

He leaned down and kissed her, soft and slow until she relaxed again, "Tell me if ya need me ta stop," He said.

She nodded even though he couldn't see her. He eased the length of himself inside of her and she felt the fullness of him as well as the slight uncomfortable feeling as he pushed forward.

"Ya alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," She panted.

He eased back and then pushed forward again slowly. Slowly the uncomfortable sensation began to fade and she started to enjoy the friction of him moving in and out of her. She marveled at how different it felt than she had ever imagined. He buried his face in her neck, his warm breath blowing against her ear. She kept her hands on his shoulder and arms, enjoying the feel of him bunching and twisting on top of her. She felt a slow heat start from her core and radiate within her and then she was lost, murmuring his name as she fluttered and vibrated beneath him.

"Shit," He mumbled. He yanked himself out of her and seconds later she felt something warm spilling across her belly. He jerked above her, groaning and grunting as he found his own release. He fell down onto the blankets next to her and was quiet except for his heavy breathing.

"Sorry," He said moments later.

She jerked in surprise, "For what?"

He sighed, "I know it was quicker than ya expected...I wanted ta make it last but when ya started bucking under me like that I lost control."

She smiled in the darkness, "It was perfect Daryl. The best I ever had," She said.

He snorted, "The _only_ ya ever had."

"Exactly, so I have nothing to compare it to. It was amazing."

He sat up and minutes later he was swiping at her stomach with what she imagined to be his shirt. He took his time cleaning her up and she just lay there quietly.

"Reckon' this is 'bout as claimed as ya get," He said when he finished. He lay back down beside her and she turned into him a little.

"You aren't jealous of Sani are you Daryl?" She asked seriously.

He scoffed, "Hell no, I ain't jealous! Now get'cha ass ta sleep. Lots ta do tomorrow," He said.

She smiled and snuggled against him. He was _definitely_ jealous but if it made him confront his feelings about her, she didn't mind it one bit.

* * *

**So they finally did the deed...How was it? I thought it was pretty good but then again I was in the zone with my headphones and music and all so it may be total crap to y'all. Don't be afraid to let me know. Again as I said, I didn't think it should be all magic and butterflies and I wanted to keep it somewhat realistic. I feel it makes the story more real. Anyway, it's late and I'm probably rambling a little. I checked for errors but please forgive me if I skipped any. Like I said above it's late and I've got an early morning so with that being said, goodnight y'all! **

**Don't forget to show me some love! **

**Much love, DETH fans! Let's show them how it's done! ;)**


	21. Chapter 21

**It NEVER ceases to amaze me at the amount of love you all show me with every chapter! I'm completely in awe here. I couldn't ask for a better group of reviewers! When I first started this fic, I had no idea that it would be so well received. So, once again(And I know I say it a lot but I'm sure I'll say it again and again), THANK YOU! Y'all keep me motivated to write these chapters as quick as I do. So with that being said, I hope you like this one!**

* * *

Daryl wasn't sure what time it was when he finally stirred. He hadn't slept as hard as he did last night in a long while. He could faintly hear people stirring around the camp and the low murmur of conversation. He looked down at the blonde hair that was spilled across his chest. The blanket had dipped down just enough that he was able to get a nice peep show of her breasts as she lay sleeping.

He let his thoughts drift to last night. He had been so nervous that he would fumble and she would laugh at him. Except he hadn't fumbled, and she definitely hadn't laughed at him. He found himself getting hard as he thought about how she had moaned and responded to his touch. He didn't think he had done too bad considering his experience. He smiled to himself as he imagined what Merle would say if he were still around. He knew his brother would rag on him for finally "dipping his wick", as Merle liked to call it.

He missed his brother sometimes, the asshole that he was. He and Merle had had some good times together. His brother had always been rough around the edges but deep down Daryl knew that he meant well, but he just didn't know how to show it. Growing up they were taught that any show of emotion was a sign of weakness and Daryl figured that had stuck with Merle more so than him.

Beth stirred a little, interrupting his thoughts. She sighed in her sleep, her warm breath blowing against his chest softly. He hadn't intended on having sex with her, especially without a condom, but he hadn't been able to control himself. He was starting to feel like a horny teenager whenever she was around. He rubbed his scratchy beard with one hand. He _had_ been jealous when he had found out that Sani had offered to "take care" of Beth. He had felt an overwhelming sense of urgency to take her, Carl, and Judith and leave right at that moment. It had only been the touch of her hand on his arm that had calmed him down. It was strange the effect she was starting to have on him.

Beth stretched, and the blanket slipped farther down revealing both of her breasts to his gaze. She yawned and then looked up at him, finally noticing that she wasn't covered. She blushed a deep red and grabbed for the blanket, trying to cover herself. He reached his hand down and stopped her movements. He wanted to look at her in the light. She looked at him nervously and he managed a smile for her.

"How ya feelin'?" He asked.

She smiled back at him, "Pretty good. I slept good. How about you?"

"Best sleep I had in a long time," He commented.

Her smile widened, her green eyes sparkling up at him. Suddenly her brow furrowed and her expression turned serious. She lifted herself up on one elbow, resting her chin in her hand so that she could look at him. "You...you don't regret it, do you?" She asked.

God, she was going to kill him. Even if he had regretted it, which he _didn't_, he would never have been able to hurt her like that. "Nah, I don't regret it. Do you?

She shook her head, her expression relaxing. She suddenly looked around, realizing how light it was outside, "What time do you think it is?" She asked.

He shrugged, "Dunno."

"Are we leaving today?"

He thought about that for a minute, "Do ya want ta leave today?" He asked.

She bit her lip, "Not really. Do you think we could spend one more day here? It's so peaceful here," She said.

"I reckon' I could talk ta Sani 'bout it an' see what he says." He reached over and plucked the band from her hair, letting it fall the rest of the way down across her shoulders.

"Hey!" She laughed and tried to make a grab for it but he held it just out of reach.

He tangled his fingers through the long blonde tresses, his expression mesmerized. He had never seen her with her hair down before. It took him a moment before he realized that she was staring at him, her lips slightly parted. He leaned over and kissed her, hoping that it was okay. He wasn't used to initiating things like that, but she responded to him eagerly so he figured that it was okay. She leaned into him, her palms resting on his chest.

They were interrupted by a voice just outside the flap of the tent, "Forgive me for interrupting, but I heard movements and thought that I would see if you were hungry," Sani's voice rumbled through.

Beth hid her head under the covers as though the man could see through the tent. For one wild moment, Daryl wondered if the man could. It certainly wouldn't surprise him given all the other unbelievable shit they were able to do around there. He looked around for his boxers and shirt and slipped them on before poking his head out of the tent flap. Sani took in his appearance and grinned knowingly at Daryl. He wanted to kick the man, but he restrained himself.

"Long night?" Sani asked.

"Somethin' like that. Sorry we slept so late. We'll be out in a minute," He told the man.

Sani shrugged, "It is not a problem. We just weren't sure whether to save you anything from breakfast or not."

Daryl's stomach grumbled at the mention of food, "Yeah, that'd be great. Give us jus' a minute," He said and then disappeared back inside the tent.

Beth was already halfway dressed and trying to wiggle into her jeans when he turned to her. She glanced up at him and then her mouth dropped and she squinted at him again. "Oh my God, what's on your shirt?" She asked.

Daryl frowned and then peered down at his shirt. He groaned. It was covered in his dried semen and he could see traces of blood, most likely from Beth. No wonder Sani had grinned at him like an idiot. There was no way he could wear this shirt outside of the tent, and he wasn't about to go without one either.

Luckily Beth saved him from embarrassment, "I'll go find Sani and see if he has an extra shirt you can have," She offered.

He nodded gratefully and she pulled her hair back once more before exiting the tent.

* * *

Beth found Sani talking to one of the men they had met last night but she couldn't recall his name. The man excused himself as Beth approached and she blushed a little at the fact that Sani probably knew what they had done last night.

Sani nodded at her, his eyes sparkling, "You look radiant. Daryl is good for you. It shows," He said.

Beth felt her face flame even more, "I was wondering if you had a shirt that he might could borrow?" She asked.

He studied her for several moments before nodding, "Leotie," He gestured at the woman who sat a few feet away. She climbed to her feet and came over to them, smiling at Beth. "Could you please find a shirt to give to Beth for her man?"

"Absolutely Sani. I'm sure we have more than enough to spare one," She gestured to Beth. "Come. We'll go and look to see what we have that might fit your man."

She fell into step beside the woman, taking the time to admire her long, dark, hair. She was a really beautiful woman and it made Beth wonder what Sani had seen in her. Next to Leotie she knew she was very plain looking. They entered the largest tent nearer to theirs and Beth was amazed at how roomy it was on the inside. She waited just inside the flap while Leotie rummaged through some clothes.

She finally held up a plain black tee, "This looks as though it might fit him. I see that he favors the shirts with no sleeves, but Sani does not own any like that. However, he may keep this one and cut off the sleeves if he so wishes," She offered.

Beth smiled at the sweet woman, "Thank you. That's very kind."

Leotie returned her smile, grasping Beth's hands, "We do what we can to help each other. It's our pleasure."

* * *

Daryl had finally dressed after ripping the sleeves off of the shirt and now he and Beth were both eating breakfast. He looked over at Sani as the man sat down on a log next to them, "Where's Judith and Carl? Ya said that man would be finished with 'em by the mornin'," He said.

"Alo has been finished since first light. Judith is napping and Carl is with Kohana. He is making him his own bow and arrows," Sani replied.

"How are they?" Beth asked.

"They are doing fine. You are more than welcome to see for yourself if you like. Please feel free to make yourself at home here. We have nothing to hide," Sani said.

Daryl nodded, "Was gonna ask ya if ya minded if we spent another night? We kinda got a late start this mornin' an' I s'pose we needed tha rest."

"Of course. Stay as long as you need. We have plenty. In fact, the men are about to go on a hunt and I see you have a crossbow of your own. Maybe you would like to join them?" Sani asked him.

Daryl thought about that for a minute. A hunt did sound good to him right now. He liked the way they did things around here. He didn't feel all cooped up inside somewhere and he could see himself fitting in nicely with these people. As long as he didn't think too much about their healing abilities and other crazy shit he didn't understand, he figured he would be fine. He hesitated to leave Beth though, but when he looked at her she smiled at him.

"Go ahead. I'll be fine. I'm sure I can find something to do to occupy my time," She said.

"Leotie would be excited for the company I'm sure. She loves to chat with new people. Sometimes too much," Sani rolled his eyes and Beth laughed.

Daryl stood up, "I'll be back in a while. Do you have your knife?" He asked her softly.

She nodded and patted her pocket, "Yep."

He didn't know why he bothered asking. They hadn't seen one walker since they had come upon the camp. It was almost as if they had some kind of invisible force field surrounding the camp. Still he lingered a moment, feeling a bit uncomfortable under Sani's intense stare. He wanted to kiss her, but he didn't relish doing it in front of others. Luckily, she seemed to read his thoughts and she rose up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Be careful," She said softly.

He nodded, not sure how to respond. He was feeling a swarm of different emotions swirling inside his gut as he walked away from her. He needed this hunt badly. The forest was calling his name and that was where he did his best thinking. If he was lucky he might even manage to catch sight of a deer or a rabbit while he was gone. Maybe then when he came back, he might have a better grasp on how to proceed forward from this point. _Maybe._

* * *

**So...the awkward morning after. I hope I was able to portray this as realistically as possible. I wanted it to be a little awkward, but not too much so. I felt they deserved a little cuteness and I felt that Daryl might let his guard down a little being at the camp with Sani and his people. I'm actually liking these OC's more than I intended, LOL! I figure since they were so well received, I should give them another night at the camp. They need the rest anyhow, since they didn't get a lot the first night. ;-) On the next chapter, I'll dig a little deeper into our new friends if y'all want to know more about them. Or if not, I'll just keep it on the same level that it's on now. Your call! **


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey y'all! Sorry this is so late coming out! I had a hell of a day yesterday and my morning didn't start out much better today. I was stuck at work for most of yesterday so that's why this didn't come out. I had half of it written and I finished it just now. I tried to make it longer for y'all considering I know a lot of you are used to my quick updates. I hope it's good! **Please Note**If anything about the information about the native american OC's seems incorrect to you, then please try to excuse it. Like I said, I rely on Google for lots of information and I know that sometimes sites can be incorrect about pieces of info. **

**I also want to give you all a BIG shout out! Heck yeah! 208 reviews! Awesome! Oh, and did y'all see the new promo for Season 4 this morning? The first scene shows Daryl talking to Beth ;) *yeah baby***

* * *

There were five men that set out on the hunt but they split themselves into pairs. Daryl ended up being paired with Kohana, who they had said was known for being fast and a good hunter. Daryl noticed that he also carried a bow, but it was a smaller and simpler version than the one he had currently. Daryl couldn't imagine carrying a bow that small. He had grown so used to the one that he carried that anything else just wouldn't feel right. Daryl never went anywhere without his bow.

Kohana was a tall man and he topped Daryl by an inch or so. He was also a quiet man, but that fact didn't bother Daryl at all. He didn't come out in the woods to chat. They walked in silence for some time, Daryl's eyes constantly scanning the ground and the trees for walkers or animals. As they walked, the brush became deeper and finally Daryl spotted a couple of squirrels scampering across some tree branches.

He paused and Kohana came to a stop beside him. Taking aim, he waited until one of the squirrels stopped to twitch its tail before letting the bolt fly. It sunk into the squirrel and the squirrel fell over onto the ground.

Kohana nodded in approval, "You are quite adept with your bow," He commented.

Daryl tied the squirrel around his waist and shrugged, "Gotta eat. Been huntin' a long time. Used ta hunt with my brother before all this shit started." Thinking about Merle made him miss his brother even more. He missed the weekends they used to disappear together and hunt. Those were the times before his brother got really heavy into the drinking and drugs.

"I had a brother once too," Kohana said softly, his voice rich and deep. "He passed on before all of this."

Daryl glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye, "I had ta put my brother down. He turned inta one o' these walkers an' tried ta come after me," Daryl paused, trying to get himself together. "Hardest thing I ever had ta do."

"That is a very hard thing indeed. We are fortunate that they are no longer here and have to be a part of all of this suffering. It is better to have them as spiritual guides from time to time," Kohana said.

Daryl frowned, "Spiritual guides?"

"Our people believe that the soul never dies. The body is just a vessel for the soul to travel. Once the body is gone, the soul remains and may visit us in several different forms such as animals or other people. Older generations have been known to have spiritual ceremonies or séances, depending on what you prefer to call it. We typically don't do that anymore. It's one of those old traditions that seems to have faded out over time," Kohana explained.

Daryl wasn't sure about all of that. To him, dead was dead no matter how you looked at it. He didn't want to think about Merle coming back as someone else. "Don't mean no disrespect but that's some weird shit right there," Daryl said. "You mean ta tell me that my brother could come back as a dog or somethin'?" Kohana nodded in reply and Daryl snorted. "Hell if that was tha case; he'd probably bite my ass an' give me rabies or somethin'."

Kohana laughed, "Your brother sounds very interesting."

Daryl chuckled, "Yeah, I guess ya could say that. He fucked up a lot, but I think he had good intentions for tha most part."

Kohana paused and raised his small bow, causing Daryl to look around. Daryl spotted the rabbit as soon as Kohana let his arrow fly and it speared the rabbit, a red bloom spreading across its chest. Daryl had a lot of respect for a man that could hunt.

Kohana picked up the rabbit and turned to Daryl, "Ready to head back?"

"Now? All we gots a squirrel an' a rabbit. That gonna be enough?" He asked the man.

"The others will have caught something to add to our bounty. We only catch just enough to eat. We are very much against waste," Kohana explained.

Daryl nodded and then his eye spotted a walker in the woods ambling in their direction. He almost had to look twice. It was the first walker he had seen since arriving at their camp. He could feel Kohana watching him as he lined up the shot and let his bolt pierce through the walker's skull seconds later. He walked over and retrieved the bolt back, wiping it on a tree nearby.

"That reminds me. How come y'all don't see many o' these bastards at yer camp?" Daryl asked. He fell into step beside Kohana as they headed back towards the camp.

"We like to believe that the spirits in the sky watch over us. We do get the occasional one that comes upon our camp. We are fortunate to always be able to take care of them before they get out of hand. I believe that the dead were brought back to life to relieve the world of all of its true evil," Kohana said.

Daryl thought about that. He didn't think he could believe that. The walkers had taken almost all of his family and they had been good people, not evil at all. "But I've seen people who ain't evil get bit. How do ya explain that?" He asked.

"Maybe those people were meant to be a part of the bigger picture. I'm only expressing opinion here, but I've spent a lot of time thinking this over. I've seen good people get taken from this world, but that doesn't mean that their spirit doesn't live on. I believe that there is a plan for everything in this world and that those who end up ultimately left behind are the true warriors of the earth. They are the ones who were meant to survive and repopulate the earth," Kohana used a lot of hand gestures as he talked and Daryl found himself truly fascinated by the conversation. He had never been one for discussions about religion. He was focused so intently on the man's words that he didn't even realize they had made it back to the camp until they had stepped back into the clearing.

Kohana gestured towards the squirrel, "Here. I'll take that and prepare it for the women to cook. You go see to your woman," Kohana winked at him and Daryl felt his face burn a little. He handed the squirrel to the man and set off to find Beth to see how her morning had gone.

* * *

Beth had spent most of the morning with Leotie. The woman was very sweet and she loved to talk just as Sani had said. She had asked Beth about the rest of their group and listened with sympathy when Beth had explained what happened. Beth surprisingly didn't start crying while talking about them, but it did make her sad to remember. Leotie took her hand and led her to one of the smaller tents where Beth waited just outside as she slipped in. A few minutes later she emerged with a round object that had feathers and beads attached to it.

Beth turned it over in her hands curiously, "What is it?"

Leotie laughed, "It's a dream catcher. You hang it above where you rest your head and it catches all of the negative energy, keeping it from entering your dreams. However, it doesn't work if you don't believe. You must believe in its power and it will bring you sweet dreams."

Beth was touched by the gift and by the woman. It was nice to have a woman around to talk with. She was going to miss these people when they had to leave. Beth tucked the gift into her pocket and wrapped her arms around the woman in a firm hug, "Thank you," She whispered. This time she did have tears in her eyes as she pulled away and so did the woman.

"I will miss you when you leave Beth. You must take care of your little family and yourself," Leotie patted her hand.

Beth nodded and then remembered something that she needed to ask the woman, "Is there somewhere private where I can speak with you?" She asked.

Leotie frowned and then nodded and tugged on her hand, leading her away.

* * *

Daryl didn't see Beth when he went looking for her but he did find Judith who was being fed and rocked by an elderly woman who Daryl could clearly see had no teeth when she smiled at Judith. It startled him momentarily, but then he gathered himself together and approached the woman. She smiled her toothless grin up at Daryl and he nodded in return.

He scratched his head, "Uh, can I hold tha baby?" He asked her. She looked up at him in confusion. She shook her head no and Daryl frowned. _Was this woman trying to tell him he couldn't hold Judith?_ He started to get a little anxious and annoyed, "What ya mean no?" He asked with a slight attitude.

The woman squinted at him and then continued swaying Judith back and forth. Judith gurgled and babbled happily at him. Daryl decided to just reach for the little girl and he made the attempt but the woman pulled away and swatted him hard with her hand. Daryl hissed in a breath at the sting of her hand, "Dammit!" He hissed. He was getting angry now and he tried to hold back a little as he turned to the woman again, "Listen here, I don't think me an' you's communicatin' very well but that's _my_ kid an' I ain't leavin' til ya hand her over!"

He heard snickering behind him and he whirled around to locate the source. Beth stood behind him next to the woman named Leotie and they were both trying to hold back their laughter. "I'm glad ya find this shit amusin'!" He yelled.

He stomped past them, his strides long and purposeful. He swept open the flap of their tent and took a few minutes to collect himself. Minutes later he heard the flap open and he didn't have to turn to know that Beth had entered the tent. He heard her hesitate at the opening and then she touched his arm.

"Daryl? Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Fuckin' peachy," He muttered.

"We weren't laughing at you. We were laughing at the elderly woman. Leotie said that the woman thought you were trying to run off with the baby," Beth explained.

Daryl felt some of the tension leave his shoulders and he sighed before finally turning around. He had intended on going back out but then he realized that they were alone for the first time all day. He stared down at Beth, his expression darkening as he thought about their first time. She must have sensed the change in the atmosphere because she shifted towards him a little, her lips parting. It was all the invitation he needed and he gripped the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her blonde hair as he held her still so that he could cover her lips with his.

It was every bit as good as he remembered. She leaned into him, her breasts pressed against him and he deepened the kiss, letting his tongue sweep into her mouth. She moaned and his body twitched at the sound. She pulled back slightly and took his lip between her teeth, sucking on it gently. He growled low in his throat. He was overwhelmed by his sudden need to have her, but he pulled away. They didn't have any protection and it would just have to wait until he was able to pick up something somewhere when they got back on the road finally.

"What's wrong?" She panted.

"We can't risk it again. Ain't safe," He commented.

"Oh," She blushed slightly and reached into her pocket, producing a small foil packet that she held out to him. "I took care of it," She said shyly.

He looked from the condom that she held and then to her. He couldn't believe she had gotten the condom, but he wasn't going to question it either. He grabbed her by the arm and she fell back against him on the pile of blankets. He pulled back to place his crossbow on the floor by the tent opening and then he was back, his lips hot and insistent on hers. She responded to him immediately by lifting her hips into his and he let out a small groan. He pushed her shirt up and over her head only to be confronted by her bra again. Shoving it up and out of the way he lowered his mouth to her nipple and sucked the puckered tip as if he expected to get nourishment from it. She whimpered and ran her fingers through his shaggy hair, tugging on it lightly. He soon found out that the more he sucked and teased her nipples, the more she writhed beneath him until she was murmuring his name, begging him for more. Her fingers skirted his shirt until she found the hem and tugged it up and over his head. He helped her rid herself of her pants and her panties. She pushed him onto his back and he lay back, staring at her through eyes heavy with desire.

"Don't move," She ordered firmly.

He chuckled, half tempted to salute her but he merely placed his hands behind his head and waited. She unbuttoned his pants and tugged. He lifted his hips so that she could get them off and then the she removed his boxers. He wasn't prepared for the touch of her warm lips on his member. His hands flew out from behind his head and he sat up.

"Fuck!" He cried, a little louder than he had intended.

Beth paused and he felt her warm hands pushing him back down, "Let me do this for you Daryl."

He let out a huff at the fact that she thought he was refusing. He didn't think he could refuse her now if she asked him to chop off his arm. The sensations felt too good for him to try to stop it. He fisted his hands in an attempt to hold it together. He hoped he could last longer than a minute. Her warm lips closed around him again and he felt her stroking and kissing him. She hesitated and then she took a little of his length into her mouth. He kept himself from bucking up into her because he didn't want to choke her. He placed his hand over hers to show her the grip that he liked and then he let go and she took over again. It only took a few more strokes before he knew he was fixing to explode.

"Fixin' ta go," He gasped out.

She nodded with her mouth still on him, "Mhm."

The vibration of her mumble against him was his undoing. He felt himself spurt into her mouth and she held on until he had finished. Coughing a little, she wiped her mouth and then sat back to look at him. She licked her lips, "That wasn't so bad," She said in surprise.

_Jesus. The things that image did to him._ He could feel himself trying to grow hard again and he sat up and yanked her towards him. She gasped as he pulled her down with him and his finger teased her entrance. He slid in slowly and tried to find the little nub that he had rubbed last time. She moaned hard when he located it and he rubbed small circles over it to tease her. He was already rock hard again and he was surprised at his ability to come back that quickly. He picked up the condom and with trembling hands slid it over himself. It was the first time in his life that he had ever worn one, but he seemed to be having a lot of those moments lately. He positioned himself over her and then paused, wondering if he had prepped her enough. Then her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him with those eyes of hers and he couldn't wait any longer. He slid into her in one smooth thrust, eliciting groans from the both of them. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he bent to kiss her neck. He could feel the sweat popping out across his forehead. He couldn't remember ever having felt this good in his life, aside from the first time they had done this. It made him wish that they were in a different time and place where they didn't have the constant worry of fighting off walkers and trying to survive. As he thrust into her, she met his eyes and he knew he was lost as he stared into them He dropped his face into the crook of her neck and let out a groan as his orgasm pulsed through him. Moments later he felt her cry out her own release and he felt embarrassed that he hadn't waited for her.

It took him a minute before he could move off of her and he was panting as he did so, "Damn, I'm gettin' old," He commented with a chuckle. She turned her head and smiled at him. Several strands of her hair were plastered to her forehead but she looked beautiful to him.

"You're not old. I think you're perfect," She said shyly.

He felt his cheeks warm. He was about as far from perfect as one could get but he appreciated the compliment all the same. It made him feel like this whole thing was okay and that he wasn't doing something wrong by being with her. She was legally of age, if that even mattered anymore really.

He pulled off the condom and set it to the side on top of his soiled shirt, "Reckon' I better burn that shirt somewhere. Damn thing ain't gonna come clean no way," He muttered.

She laughed and then she turned a bright shade of red, "You don't think they know what we're in here doing, do you?"

He raised his brow at her, "Ya talkin' bout tha people who knew Judith was sick 'fore she even got sick? Yeah, I'm sure they ain't got a clue," He said with a snort. He snickered as she smacked him with her pillow.

* * *

**Okay, review me! :-)**


	23. Chapter 23

**I'm not happy with the way this chapter turned out, but it is what it is. It's not too terribly exciting, more of a filler/transition chapter than anything else. I'm working on some notes for future chapters though so bear with me. My updates may not be every day for a bit as I'm busy with work and life in general. I'm going to shoot for updating every other day though at the least. I might get something out tomorrow too, but we'll see how it goes. Thanks for all of your kind words and support! Keep it coming! :-)**

* * *

Morning came and Beth found herself saying goodbye to all of the people of the camp and thanking them for their hospitality. She had buckled Judith into her seat already and Daryl was putting their things into the SUV to prepare to pull out. Carl was talking with Kohana about his new bow and arrow.

Leotie approached her, her face full of sorrow, "I am sad to see you go Beth. I willl miss talking to you. You have a good spirit and don't ever let anyone tell you any different," The woman said.

Beth smiled at her, hugging her warmly. She hated to leave too. She felt safe there with their people, but she knew that they couldn't stay forever. They needed to move on and find their own space in the world. Hopefully they could find somewhere safe and they wouldn't have to spend too much time on the road like before when they had left the farm. Daryl came to stand next to her and she smiled at him. The corner of his mouth quirked up and he smiled a little in return.

Sani approached them holding a box in his hands. He offered it to Daryl and Beth peered inside curiously as Daryl accepted it. There was an assortment of food and what appeared to be some medicine as well.

"It's not much I know, but we would like to offer it to you to aid you on your journey," Sani said.

Beth smiled at the man. It was very rare indeed that they came across such gracious and giving people as the ones they had met here. "You are very kind," She told him.

He smiled at her warmly and took her hand in his, "If you ever grow tired of him, you know where to find me," Sani teased and then winked at her.

She blushed and then she felt Daryl's body heat at her back, "Um, thank you I think," She replied.

"If ya weren't so nice, I jus' might have ta put an arrow in yer ass," Daryl remarked with a hint of a smile.

She shivered from the delicious warmth of his chest pressed against her back. She eased back a little farther and felt him twitch slightly and she grinned to herself.

Sani laughed, not at all offended, "You are a warrior at heart Daryl. I believe you shall go far. I wish all of you nothing but the best and should our paths ever cross again, know that you are always welcome here."

Daryl shifted the box onto one hand and the other he stuck out towards Sani who shook it firmly, "Thanks. I appreciate tha offer," Daryl replied.

Judith began to babble in the backseat and Beth started to slip back there with the girl when Carl stopped her, "I got it. You can sit up front with Daryl," He said.

"Are you sure?" Beth asked. She didn't want him to feel like he wasn't just as important as the rest of them.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. It'll give me something to do to keep Judith entertained," He replied.

"Okay then," She said one last goodbye to their new friends and got into the passenger seat while Daryl loaded the box of supplies in the back with Judith and Carl.

Daryl climbed into the driver's seat, "All set?" He asked them.

"We're as ready as we're gonna get," She replied.

* * *

Daryl was touched by the box of supplies that they were given by Sani and his group. He wasn't going to ask them for anything because he knew himself how important it was to have enough food to feed those you were with. Food was getting harder and harder to come by so he understood just how much the gesture meant to them. It would mean that they wouldn't have to stop as much while on the road to scavenge for food in nearby buildings either.

He wasn't looking forward to being on the road again. The worst part about the whole situation was that he really didn't have a destination in mind for them. He planned to just drive and see what they encountered along the way. He was holding out hope that somewhere along the line they might be able to find something that they could bunker down in that was safe enough. They wouldn't need anywhere big since it was just the four of them. He figured maybe a house with a fence of some kind might even be okay as long as it looked secure enough.

Of course having Carl with them was a big help too. Carl was becoming a young man and Daryl would be able to teach him a lot of things that would benefit their group should anything ever happen to him. He was optimistic for the moment though. If they could just find a place, they might just be okay.

He glanced over at Beth as he drove. She was staring out of the window, seemingly lost in thought and he wondered what she was thinking. His feelings for her had been a surprise and he wasn't sure yet at the extent of them, but he knew that he cared for her a great deal. For the moment, he figured he would just enjoy what they had and he wouldn't question it.

All in all, things weren't the greatest that they could be at the moment. Ideally, he wished they could have their group back, but that wasn't possible. They had each other, food, and hopefully soon a safe place to lay their head. That was about the best that anyone could hope for in this life.

* * *

They ended up at an abandoned gas station on the side of the road for the night. They hadn't come across much as they were traveling and Beth could see that Daryl was getting tired. They had driven all day, but the most they had come across were small towns, rows of fields, and miles of empty road. Apparently they were traveling through a less populated area of Georgia. Beth had suggested the gas station as they had come upon it. She only saw one walker slumped against the gas tanks as they pulled in and it was quickly growing dark.

Carl had been entertaining Judith in her seat as they pulled in, but as soon as Daryl put the SUV in park, he jumped out of the vehicle, "I've got it!" He cried out and before either of them could say anything, he had taken down the one lone walker on the premises.

She exited the vehicle and watched as Daryl walked over to Carl and said a few things to which Carl frowned but then nodded at him. She peered through the glass of the gas station windows and spotted rows of empty shelves. She didn't see any walkers inside, but as always that didn't mean that there weren't any there.

"I'm gonna check out tha inside. Carl, you stay out here with the girls an' keep an eye out," Daryl said as he walked past with his crossbow in hand.

Beth rummaged through the vehicle for things that they would need to get them through the night. She didn't want to carry in too much in case they had to make a run for it, so she just grabbed up food for dinner and some blankets and pillows.

"Wanna carry these in for me so I can grab Judith?" She asked Carl.

He shrugged, "Sure, I guess."

She felt bad for Carl. She knew how hard this must be on him. Even though he and Rick's relationship hadn't been the greatest before Rick died, she knew he had still loved his dad greatly. She unstrapped Judith from her seat and bounced the little girl on her hip as Daryl exited the building. He was dragging the body of a walker behind him and he dragged it to the corner of the building and left it there.

"All clear," He said.

* * *

Daryl took watch later that night after they all decided to call it a day and Beth found herself tossing and turning on her sleeping bag as she tried to fall asleep. Judith was asleep a few inches from her and Carl was sleeping soundly a few feet away. She finally sighed, and got up to walk over to where he was standing by the plate glass window in front.

He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and lit it as she approached, "Can't sleep?" He asked her. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself to fight off the slight chill of the cool night. "Yeah me neither which is why I volunteered ta take watch," He said.

"You would think I would be used to all of this traveling and sleeping in different places most every night," She commented.

He snorted, "Ya don't ever get used ta that shit. Grows old. Tomorrow we'll hit tha road early an' hopefully find us somethin' more stable close to some towns or somethin'," He said.

She nodded and rubbed her bare arms. She was thinking about going back for her blanket when Daryl put out his cigarette and gestured to her, "Com'ere."

She walked the few steps to him and he pulled her flush against him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She huddled into his warmth gratefully. The man put out a lot of body heat she had noticed. He rubbed his hands up and down her back soothingly. She hummed appreciatively against his chest and he pulled back a little to bring his lips to hers. She opened her mouth underneath his, letting his tongue stroke lazily against hers. His hands rubbed her back in small circles as he continued to kiss her. When she finally pulled away from him, she was nearly breathless.

She burrowed her head against his chest and closed her eyes. She knew it was probably too soon, but she needed to get it off of her chest anyway. There was always the chance that she might die tomorrow and she wanted him to know it now. She had been doing a lot of thinking about it as they were driving earlier and she had decided that even though she hadn't ever experienced it, that what she felt for him was deeper than what she might feel for Carl for instance. The only thing holding her back was that she wasn't sure what his reaction would be. She didn't want him to pull away from her and she didn't want to pressure him if he didn't feel the same way.

She took several deep breaths, inhaling his masculine scent, "Daryl?"

"Hm?" He asked softly. She looked up to see that he was staring out of the window, but when he felt her shift he looked down at her.

"I have to tell you something, but I don't want you to panic. I also want you to know that I don't expect anything in return," She said carefully.

His arms slowly unwrapped from around her and he regarded her with his full concentration now, "What is it?" He asked.

This was it. This was her moment and time to tell him how she felt. _Dear God, please don't let him turn away from me._

"I love you," She replied.

His eyes flickered in surprise and then he fully detached himself from her and braced his hands against the window. She swallowed and waited for him to say something. It was several minutes before he finally responded, "Ya best be gettin' yaself some sleep. We got a long day tomorrow."

She blinked, not sure why she should be surprised. She had expected him to turn away completely so it shouldn't hurt so much when he seemed to overlook her admission of feeling. But it did hurt, and it cut her deeper than she would have liked. There was no turning back now though and she wouldn't take it back. She had meant those words and it was up to him what he did with them. She only hoped that somewhere deep inside he cared for her as deeply as she did him, even if he didn't realize it yet.

* * *

**Review?**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey y'all! Got another chapter here for you! Sorry it's so late in coming out! Been a busy day here! It's a little shorter than my norm, but I wanted to get something out so I hope y'all will forgive me. I'm so pleased to hear that y'all liked the last chapter so much. I totally see Daryl pulling away a little at someone's declaration of love for him. I can also see Beth declaring her love for him already. She strikes me as the type to do so, but it's hard to say for sure because they haven't developed her character very much. Maybe that will change this season! Anyway, enough rambling for me. I'm off to work on a chapter for the other fic, so hope y'all enjoy this one!**

* * *

Daryl was exhausted.

They had been driving all day and so far they hadn't found anything that he thought looked safe enough. It didn't help that he spent all day being distracted. Beth had thrown him completely off guard when she had declared she loved him. He hadn't known how he was supposed to respond to that. She said she didn't expect anything in return, but he wasn't so sure. He felt like an asshole because he couldn't say it back.

It wasn't even that he thought he didn't love her. He wasn't sure how he felt about her really. He knew that he cared about her and he didn't want anything to happen to her, but beyond that he hadn't really spent much time thinking about it. He liked things the way they had been going and he liked spending time with her. Now she had to go and change the game a little and confuse the hell out of him. He couldn't remember one damn thing in his whole life that he had ever loved. He supposed he had loved Merle, but that was different. He was sure that Beth wasn't saying she loved him in the same way that he loved his brother.

She had been quiet all day too. He wasn't sure if she was waiting to see if he would say it back or if something else was going on. All he knew was that he was functioning off of no sleep and he needed to find them someplace to spend the night. So far, it wasn't looking too good and he didn't relish the thought of trying to sleep in the vehicle. If Judith were to cry, the SUV would do little to muffle the noise. No, he had to find them _somewhere_.

* * *

They finally drove through a series of small towns and Daryl circled around a residential street a few times before choosing a house set away from the others at the end of the street. It had a fence surrounding it so that would make it relatively easier to secure. It wasn't the best to be had, but it would have to do.

He could tell that they were all starting to grow weary of traveling for the day and he was definitely in need of some rest himself. He hoped that once he got the house secured that Carl would be okay on watch for a bit so that he could catch a quick nap. He hated to sleep at all, but he felt that if he soon didn't get some sleep that he wouldn't be good to any of them in a crisis.

He pulled up in front of the fence and turned to Carl, "Hey deputy, wanna be my back-up?"

Carl smiled and nodded. He grabbed his knife from his belt, "Yeah."

He looked over at Beth, but she was looking down at her hands. He wanted to say something to her to let her know that he cared about her, but he just didn't know how to tell her. Instead he opted for staring at her, "We'll be right back. Keep tha doors locked."

She looked up into his eyes and nodded, "Okay."

He hurriedly exited the vehicle with Carl on his heels and together they entered inside of the fence.

* * *

Beth watched as Carl and Daryl went to secure the house. She had thought that Daryl might ask her to go with him, but then again she wasn't all that great at killing walkers. She hadn't even been able to protect Judith from those people who had taken her. She watched as a lone walker made its way up the street. It meandered around like a person who had drank too much and was just trying to make it home from the bar.

She turned around to check on Judith who was eyeing the little mobile that they had attached to the car seat and her eyes were drooping. Beth looked towards the house, but Daryl and Carl must have went inside already because she didn't see them. She shifted in the seat and began to gather a few things inside of the car that they would need for the night while she waited.

She really hoped that she would be able to get a moment alone with Daryl later so that they could talk. He had definitely pulled away from her some and that was the last thing that she wanted. She missed him already and he hadn't even gone anywhere. They were both failing at communication right now and she really wanted to correct that as soon as possible. She didn't want him over thinking things.

She finished gathering their little bit of stuff together and felt an odd sensation creep over her. Looking up, she glanced around the vehicle and gasped in shock. There were at least a dozen or so walkers shuffling around the car and she was stuck inside with Judith.

* * *

Daryl and Carl had killed four walkers so far and dragged them into the living room of the house into a pile. Carl was managing to pull his own weight more so than Daryl had thought. He wasn't as strong as a full grown man, but he was doing well for his age. Daryl figured that given the right training, he would grow up into a hell of a man just like his dad.

Daryl paused in the kitchen, overcome with an overwhelming sense of sadness for his friend. Carl turned, noticing that Daryl wasn't behind him and frowned.

"You alright?" Carl asked.

Daryl looked up at Carl, looking for some sign of Rick in the kid's face, but there was none. There were traces of Lori, but none of Rick that Daryl could tell. He wasn't entirely sure he saw Shane there either so at least that was something. He sighed and leaned against the counter, "Yeah. It's nothin'. Let's go," He said.

Carl wrinkled his brow, "You sure? You looked kind of sad there for a minute. Is it the about the group?"

_Damn fine time for the kid to start being so intuitive._ Daryl nodded, "Ya been thinkin' 'bout 'em too?"

Carl swallowed and then slowly nodded, "Hard not to."

Daryl could see the sadness in his face then and in that moment he looked like the kid that he really was instead of the adult that he was trying to be. He wished that he knew something to say to him, some words of comfort to offer to him, but that wasn't ever his strong suit. He wasn't built to comfort. The abuse that he had endured in his life had hardened him to emotions of any kind. Anything that you did long enough eventually became hard to break out of and Daryl was no exception to that. He had held back all emotions as a child and up that he didn't know how to bring them back.

He settled for laying his hand on Carl's shoulder instead and squeezing gently, "Ya got Judith an' us. We jus' gotta make do with tha hand that we're dealt kid. Sometimes it's a shitty hand, but maybe soon we'll get a good one an' it'll make up for this one," He offered.

Carl stared down at the floor and then he gave a quick nod, "I sure hope the good one hurries up," He replied.

Daryl gave him a half-smile, "Me too kid. I think we got this all wrapped up. Let's got check on tha girls."

Carl followed behind him as he exited out of the back door and swept the back yard to make sure it was clear before they headed towards the front. Daryl paused just before they rounded the last corner and held up a finger to his lips.

"Ya hear that?" He wrinkled his brow in concentration and paused to listen again.

"Is that Judith crying?" Carl asked.

Daryl felt his heart pound as he peered around the corner and out to the street. The image he saw made him step back around behind the house and groan inwardly, "Fuck!" He hissed.

Carl's eyes were wide as he looked at him, "What is it? What's going on?" He whispered frantically.

"There's a herd," Daryl replied with a sigh. It seemed that lately there was always something. _Why couldn't they just get a fucking break for once?_

Carl started to head around the house, but Daryl reached out a hand and stopped him, "No. Ya can't jus' go out there thinkin' ya can take all them down. There's at _least_ a dozen," Daryl said.

"What do we do?" Carl asked.

Daryl sighed, "I'm goin' ta try an' pick off as much as possible from here, but I only got so many arrows. They've surrounded tha vehicle an' Judith's cryin' so they ain't jus' goin' away with her makin' noise like that."

"What happens when you run outta arrows?" Carl asked.

Daryl's jaw clenched, "We'll solve that problem as we come ta it. One thing at a time," He replied. He eased his bow around the side and tried to figure out which one to pick off first. If only Beth could get Judith calmed down then the walkers might back off a little. He doubted that was going to happen though so he could only hope that he and Carl would be able to take them down. If not, they would have to find another way. He would sacrifice himself before he let someone else die.

* * *

**Y'all want to kill me yet? Let me hear it! ;-)**


	25. Chapter 25

**So...Because I love y'all and your awesome reviews/support SO much I decided to get this one done first thing. I know that was a really crappy way to leave y'all for the last chapter, but sometimes it happens like that. I just wanted you to know that I wouldn't do it if I didn't update so fast either. I wouldn't leave you hanging and then wait three weeks to get another chapter out. That's just not cool and would drive ME crazy if I was reading a story. I can't believe we're almost ONE WEEK away from the start of Season 4! Who's freaking excited?! ME! LOL...anyway, hope you like!**

* * *

"Shh...It's okay honey. We're okay. The boys will save us. We're going to be fine," Beth crooned to the little girl.

She wasn't entirely sure that that was true, but she was going with it. She didn't even know if they had spotted them out here or what was going on because she couldn't see anything but walkers outside the windows of the vehicle. The sounds of Judith's crying was only making them try to work harder to get inside and Beth worried that if enough of them pressed against the glass that it would break. She had crawled into the backseat with the girl and she was holding her in her lap to try and shield her eyes from the sight of the walkers. If she could only get the little girl to calm down long enough then the walkers might calm down a bit.

She reached into the bag and pulled out a little toy that the girl liked to put in her mouth and play with. She held it up over her and swayed it back and forth as if it was the best thing ever invented. It worked momentarily and Judith was distracted by the vibrant colors long enough to quit crying. Beth breathed a sigh of relief and began talking to the girl and making funny faces. She was using every trick she had ever used on the girl in hopes that it would work.

The sound of a walker slamming against the glass and sliding down to the ground made her jump, but thankfully Judith was distracted enough by the ridiculous tale that Beth was telling her and she didn't cry. Beth saw the arrow sticking out of the walker's skull and let out a breath of relief.

"It's okay Judith, Daryl is going to save us _again,_" She said. It seemed like things were always happening to her and that Daryl was always coming to her rescue in some way. If only she knew more about fighting then maybe she wouldn't feel so _useless_ right now.

Another arrow sunk into the skull of another walker, but she didn't jump this time. She continued talking a bunch of nonsense to Judith as she distracted her with the toy. A few more walkers sank to the ground around the vehicle and now she could see out of the window towards the house. She spotted Daryl and Carl immediately at the corner of the house. Daryl's expression was intense and she could see the tension in his arms and shoulders as he aimed at the walkers. She saw his mouth move and he must have muttered something to Carl because the boy nodded at him, his mouth also moving. Another thump sounded, but slightly different this time and she peered over the seat at the driver's side window. Her expression changed to one of terror.

The force of the arrow had caused the walker to slam its head against the window, forming a golf ball sized web of cracks in the center. She knew what would happen if enough walkers put pressure on those cracks. It would cave in and then the walkers would get inside of the vehicle. She and Judith would be stuck with no where to go. _Please hurry Daryl, _she thought. She clutched her knife tighter by her side.

* * *

Daryl watched as the fifth walker slid down from the vehicle. So far, so good and at least Beth had managed to get Judith to stop crying. The walkers were still gathered around the vehicle though and the five he had taken out hadn't even seemed to put a dent into the amount that were there.

"How many we got Carl?" He asked without taking his eyes off of the vehicle.

"Twelve," Carl answered so quickly that he knew the kid must have been keeping track of the number from the start.

"Fuck!" Daryl hissed.

He lined up his bow and fired another arrow, sending another walker to his final resting place. He had six arrows left and then he was going to have to leave the fence and fight them by hand. He fired off three more shots, but one only managed to hit a walker in the neck because one of the others got in the way at the last minute.

Daryl could feel his blood pressure rising and his pulse was pounding double time in his ears. He was running off of pure adrenaline, but he wouldn't rest until he had them all taken care of.

"Eight left," Carl spoke up from behind him.

Eight walkers and three arrows. That would leave him with six walkers to take down with his knife since he missed the one. He could handle that. He had taken down way more than that before. He had just never tried to do it alone. He sighed and sailed off his last three arrows. It really didn't matter which ones he took down at this point. One was just as bad as the other in his opinion.

He turned to Carl to tell the boy to get ready because he was going to see if they could call them away from the car to the fence when he heard a slight cracking sound. He peered at the SUV and then he saw the window on the driver's side break. The sound of the glass breaking vibrated through him and he watched as a couple of walkers were drawn to the noise and they tried to cram themselves in through the window.

As if that alone wasn't bad enough, Judith began to wail again.

* * *

Beth watched as the spiderweb of cracks on the window grew bigger and bigger. She had moved herself and Judith towards the rear of the SUV and she was clutching the little girl protectively against her in one hand and in her other she held her knife. She said a little prayer that the glass would hold, but her prayers went unanswered as the glass caved shattered inwards and two walkers tried to force themselves inside. Beth tensed automatically and Judith began to wail in her arms, further stirring up the walkers that had decided there was food inside of the vehicle.

She placed a kiss to Judith's forehead and set the screaming little girl on the floor in the back. She made her way over the seats and slashed at one of the walkers. She managed to swipe off a finger and she slashed out again, trying to sink her blade into its head. One of the walkers was halfway into the window and she swung her knife through the air again as she tried to take it out. The walker slid the rest of the way into the vehicle and Beth managed to slam her knife into its skull as it tried to get up. She let out a sigh of relief as it collapsed against the seat, finally dead. She cried out as another walker immediately behind it made a grab for her shirt and she felt its grimy fingers graze her skin. She struggled to get her knife back from the walker that she had killed but the location was awkward as she tried to reach over the seat. She could hear the walker's jaws snapping at her, the sound coming way too close to her ear for comfort. Her fingers reached out just enough to close over the knife and she gave it a sharp tug. The walker's hand closed over her wrist and she cried out as its jaws almost sunk into her flesh. Breathing heavily, she fell into the front seat with it and kicked her leg out, connecting with its face. She heard a crunching sound and then the driver's side door was thrown open and Daryl's knife was slammed into its skull, stilling its movements.

She looked up and into his eyes. She wanted to go to him more than anything, but she began to shake and she couldn't get her legs to cooperate.

"Where's Jude?" He asked gruffly.

"B..B..Back," She stuttered.

She saw Carl brush past him and head to the back of the vehicle to see to his sister. Daryl held out a hand to her, but she seemed to be frozen to the spot. He hit the button to unlock the doors and then he disappeared from sight only to open the door behind her that she happened to be leaning against. His strong arms wrapped around her as she toppled backwards and he pulled her up and against him. She nuzzled herself into his chest and tried to calm her racing heart. She knew it was silly to be so shook up, but she couldn't seem to help it. He held her against him for a minute before pushing her away to look at her.

"Ya alright?" His forehead was wrinkled in concern.

She nodded, "I'm okay. I should have been paying more attention," She said.

"Wouldn'ta done ya much good. Ain't much ya coulda done out here by yerself," He said.

"I'm going to take Judith inside," Carl said as he walked by with the little girl who had finally grown quiet.

Daryl nodded, his eyes never leaving hers, "Be there in a minute." As soon as Carl was gone, he hugged her to him again. She leaned into him gratefully, drawing strength from his embrace. "I need ta get ya trained. Anything coulda happened," He said gruffly.

"I'm so sorry Daryl," She whispered.

"For what?"

She pulled back, "For telling you that I loved you. I know it freaked you out and you pulled away from me. I shouldn't have said anything at all, but I just didn't want something to happen and you not to know. I don't expect you to be able to say it back, but please don't push me away I-"

He stopped her rambling with a kiss. She was startled for a second and then she melted into his arms returning his kiss. His tongue eased into her mouth and she welcomed the feel of it tangling with hers. He eased her backward until her back was pressed against the SUV and she moaned softly at the feel of him pressed against her. When he pulled back he blinked a few times and then he looked around as if he suddenly remembered where they were.

"We need ta get inside. Let's get jus' what we need for tha night," He said.

"Okay," She tried to get control of her racing heart and helped him to grab just the bags that they would need. It wasn't much, but she had gotten a kiss and at least she knew that he was trying even if he hadn't said anything about it. He hadn't completely pulled away from her and that was enough to bring a small smile to her face.

* * *

**You know the drill. I want to hear your thoughts! ;-)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey y'all, sorry this one is so late in getting out. I'm really tired today, but I'm not working tomorrow so I'm hoping to get caught up on my sleep some and get some more writing done. I didn't expect to get this sleepy once I started typing, but it just hit me all at once! Please forgive me if their are any errors, I've read through this several times, but I'm only human and I miss things lol. This one is also shorter than the others and I apologize for that, but I wanted to get y'all something because y'all are so good to me with the reviews! Thank y'all for that by the way! You're truly awesome! Alright, I'm out! Goodnight!**

* * *

Daryl lit a cigarette and let his thoughts drift to the events from earlier that day as he kept watch. He was perched at the window sill in the kitchen while the others slept in the living room. He still hadn't been to sleep and he knew that he should sleep, but he just couldn't seem to slow his thoughts down enough to get there. He was still slightly on edge, still reliving that moment when the window had broken and the walkers had crawled through to get to Beth and Judith. He knew that when he slept that image would only further haunt him and then he wouldn't be able to distract himself from it. He had almost lost them. Granted, it hadn't been _that_ close of a call, but it had still shaken the hell out of him. He supposed that flashbacks of the rest of the group had crossed his mind and he had been terrified that he would lose the last few he had left.

He sighed and took a deep draw from the cigarette, flicking his ashes onto the floor. He peered out into the night again, trying to see if their were any threats but of course it was pitch black out. They had secured the front and back doors as best as they could and Daryl had closed off the doors to all of the other rooms as an extra precaution. All in all he knew they were as safe as they were going to get for the night, but he still couldn't keep himself from peering out into the darkness.

Deep down a part of him was scared that if he shut his eyes, he would sleep so deeply from his exhaustion that if another herd passed he might not hear it in time. This time they might not be so lucky as to survive. That was a thought that just didn't sit well with him. There were two kids that depended on him for their safety and he wouldn't let them down.

Then there was Beth. He couldn't quite figure out what to do about her. He knew that she wanted some kind of relationship from him, some kind of committment, but he wasn't sure that he had it in him to give her that. She was the type who needed comfort and although he didn't mind holding her against him, he wasn't exactly the comforting type.

He took one last draw from his cigarette and put it out. His thumb unconsciously drifted to his mouth and he began to gnaw at the skin there as he sat in the darkness by himself. He could hear the sounds of their light breathing from the next room and he envied them for their ability to sleep.

* * *

Beth couldn't sleep. She had tried to think about other things, _anything_, to clear her mind, but it kept drifting back to the herd from earlier. Every time she closed her eyes, she would hear the sound of the walkers teeth snapping dangerously close to her and her eyes would fly open again.

It had been a quiet evening as they had all eaten whatever can they happened to pick from the bag of food. She had picked over hers pretending to eat, but she had really just been shifting the food around in the can. She had finally forced herself to eat some because they couldn't afford to just waste food these days. She wished she hadn't opened the can though because she was regretting eating that corn now as it settled onto the bottom of her stomach.

She peeled back her blanket and snuck a glance at Judith whose little face she could barely make out in the moonlight shining through the skylight in the living room. She made her way over to the kitchen, pausing in the doorway as she tried to spot him in the darkness.

"What'cha doin' up?" His voice came out low in the darkness and she made her way over in the direction that she guessed he was in. Her hand hit the counter and she heard him snort a little, "To yer right," He said.

She took several steps to her right before she ran straight into his hardness. He caught her by the arms and they stood that way for several minutes, the only sounds being their shallow breathing. She wanted him. She _needed_ to feel connected to him, but she wasn't sure if he was feeling the same.

"Daryl?" She asked.

She waited and then she felt his lips graze over hers softly. She turned her head and returned the kiss, sliding her tongue into his mouth. She stepped into him until she was molded against him, his erection poking into her thigh. Something changed in the air and suddenly they were all over each other, teeth clashing and hands roaming as they sought out the relief that they required. He needed a release of tension and she needed to feel that comfort from him. He guided her backwards until her back hit the counter again and he lifted her, sitting her on top of it.

She stared at him in the darkness, not being able to read his expression, but her eyes having adjusted enough to see his outline. She bent her head and licked his neck, leaving a wet trail up to his ear. He shivered and pulled away before moving his lips to her ear, biting on her lobe gently. She tugged on his shirt, but he pushed her hands away firmly.

"No. Too open," He said gruffly.

His hands slid under her shirt and he lifted the cups of her bra, his thumbs grazing over her nipples. She tilted her head back and it hit the cabinet behind her with a small thud. She ignored it as sensations of pleasure coursed through her. It was everything she wanted and needed all at the same time. His hands fumbled with her jeans and she pushed them aside to unbutton, unzip, and slide them down. She was left sitting on the counter with her pants around her ankles. She decided to even things up and she unzipped his pants and fished her hand inside to grab him. She let out a little gasp as she felt his hot heat and he pulsed gently in her grip as she pulled him through the opening. His fingers skimmed the cotton of her panties until they encountered the moistness from her arousal and he rubbed his fingers over the area gently. She bucked against his hand and bit her lip to hold back her moan. Hooking her thumbs into her panties, she shifted and wiggled until they joined her pants at her ankles moments later.

His fingers immediately went to her slit and he worked his finger inside of her easily. She let her head fall forward to his shoulder as he found the little nub that had excited her so much the last time and he rubbed it softly. She rocked her hips forward, seeking out relief and trying to increase the pressure of his finger. He nibbled at her collarbone, nipping at the skin and making her shiver in response.

She felt herself building and she pushed his hands away and grabbed onto him to try and guide him inside of her. She gasped as the tip of him pushed into her and then shifted his hips and thrust into her, making her claw at his shoulders. He began a hard rhythm, thrusting into her so hard that she had to grab onto the edge of the counter to keep from sliding around. She could feel the warm heat beginning to spread through her body life wildfire and then she was lost. She spiraled through a pyramid of sensation as her orgasm rocked her. He groaned and then yanked himself from her at the last minute, his seed spilling hot and wet onto her thighs. He let his forehead droop forward softly onto her shoulder and he panted into her neck.

After a few minutes, he left her and she heard him stuff himself back into his pants and zip himself up. Seconds later he was back with some type of cloth that he used to wipe his semen from her thighs and the counter where it had dripped. She slid off of the counter and adjusted her clothing. He looked dead on his feet and she knew that he was exhausted. She sat on the floor against the wall and tugged on his hand until he finally sat down next to her. She didn't let go of his hand and surprisingly he didn't tug it back either. He did sigh and stretch out his legs, his head falling back slightly to rest against the wall. She began to trace lazy circles across his hand, her fingers skating over his calluses and random scars.

Several minutes passed before she heard his breathing deepen and she knew he had finally succumbed to the exhaustion that had been threatening to consume him all day. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. He twitched and his head slid over to rest on her shoulder.

She rested her head gently against his, "I love you Daryl Dixon," She whispered. Her only response was his even breathing, but she was okay with that for now. She would be content to take this part of him that he was willing to give her until he was ready to give her the rest.

* * *

**Review?**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey y'all! Sorry this wasn't hasn't been coming as often as usual lately! I'm SO sorry! I've been trying to make some notes on where I want to take this fic next and the muse has been trying to go in hiding here. Sometimes my muse likes to be stubborn, but I'm going to keep pecking at it here and maybe it will come back out to play a bit! There's nothing too special about this chapter. It's mainly just a filler of sorts to keep us moving along with the story. I hope y'all are still with me and enjoying it! Hang with me, I'm still here, plugging along! LOL**

* * *

When Beth opened her eyes the next morning she realized two things: one was that she wasn't in her sleeping bag, and two, was that she was laying with her head in Daryl's lap. She stared up into his sleeping face, his head bent forward and his lips partially open. He didn't appear to have moved from his position all night and she knew how tired he must be. As much as she would have loved to have lain in his lap sleeping for a while longer, she knew that she needed to get up and tend to Judith.

She wasn't sure what time of day it was because it was cloudy out and it looked as if it would rain when she peered out of the window. She wondered if maybe it wouldn't be best for them to stay another night at the house if it was going to rain and Daryl needed his sleep anyway. She saw three walkers in the street, but other than that all was quiet outside.

She sighed and walked into the living room, stopping short when she saw that Carl was already up and feeding Judith a bottle. He smiled at her as she walked in, "Mornin'," He said.

"Morning. You didn't have to feed her Carl. I would have gotten it," She said.

He shrugged, "I don't mind. She's my sister. Besides, if something ever happens to the two of you then I need to get used to it," He replied.

He had a good point although she really didn't want to think about something happening to any of them. It would be so unfair considering all that they had been through up to now and the losses they had already suffered. Then again, she knew that just like with everything else there were no guarantees in this world, _especially_ now.

Carl seemed to be doing okay with Judith so she set to work rummaging in the bag of food for something decent for them to have for breakfast and came up with some packets of oatmeal except she didn't have any water. She shrugged and went into the kitchen to find some bowls. She peeked at Daryl's sleeping form before digging through the cabinets as quietly as possible. She finally located some bowls that she rinsed with the bottles of water they carried around with them. She turned to take them into the living room when her eyes settled on the stove. Pausing, she walked over to it and set the bowls down on the counter. She smiled as she realized that the stove was gas operated. All she needed was a lighter and they could have hot oatmeal in no time.

The only place she knew to find a lighter was in Daryl's pocket which was going to be difficult to get to without waking him up considering he was still sitting up. She crouched in front of him and felt his side pockets until she fingered the outline of the lighter. He shifted slightly and she held her breath to keep from waking him. She slowly inched her fingers into the pocket and was finally able to work out the lighter after several minutes of effort. She sat back with a triumphant smile and looked straight into his open eyes.

He regarded her lazily, "Ya stealin' now?" His voice was slightly teasing and laced with sleep. She thought it was the sexiest thing she had ever heard.

She blushed, "The stove is gas and I needed a lighter so that I could heat us up some food," She said.

He reached out a hand and rubbed his thumb across her lip making her breath hitch slightly. She parted her lips and his eyes darkened, "Carl's up," She said softly.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers causing her to moan softly against his warm mouth. He kept the kiss brief, but it made her heart flutter regardless. She wondered if he could tell the effect that he had on her because she was pretty sure that her emotions weren't hard to figure out.

He climbed slowly to his feet and stretched while looking out of the window, "Looks like rain," He commented as she set to work on lighting the burner.

She said a silent prayer that they had owned a gas stove at the farm before they had renovated their kitchen. She nodded as the flame caught and she went to work locating a pot to boil some water in, "I know. Do you think we can stay here another night?" She asked.

He glanced over at her, "Ya_ wanna _stay here another night?" He asked.

She shrugged, "It doesn't seem too bad. Not a lot we can do if it starts to rain on the road. Besides, you're dead tired. I can see it all over your face."

He raised a brow and leaned against the counter next to the stove watching her work, "So ya know me so well now, huh?" He said softly.

She smiled, "You're not _that_ hard to read Daryl."

He stared at her for a few moments before his lips curled and he slowly smiled, "Guess I gotta try harder," He commented before disappearing into the living room. She shook her head at him and smiled as she waited for the water to come to a boil.

* * *

Daryl _was_ dead tired. It had shocked him how easily she had been able to see it. He should have known though considering he hadn't awakened when she had moved from next to him and even when she had moved around the kitchen. Usually he was cracking open an eye at the slightest noise. It alarmed him that he had slept so deeply and he was beyond relieved to find that nothing bad had happened while he had been in a deep slumber.

The sex between them had been incredible. He wasn't sure what had come over him exactly, but he had wanted her with a need that he couldn't quite describe. Even when he had woken up and seen her staring at him with her eyes wide he had wanted her. It made him a little nervous to experience those kinds of feelings for someone. As she walked out of the kitchen with steaming bowls of oatmeal, he found himself watching her. She wasn't dressed up by any means, but he still thought that she looked pretty just wearing jeans and a shirt. She turned to hand him his oatmeal and caught him staring.

She blushed as their fingers brushed when she handed him the bowl, "Everything okay?" She asked.

Daryl nodded and accepted the oatmeal. He began to eat, ignoring the fact that the oatmeal was steaming hot. He didn't care if it burned his throat. It was rare for them to get hot meals and he wasn't about to wait for it to grow cold. He felt like he had eaten so much oatmeal since all this started that he really wouldn't care to ever eat it again except for the fact that their choices these days were so limited.

He thought about their next move while he ate the oatmeal. Ideally, he would like to find them somewhere that was surrounded by a fence and that maybe was slightly isolated. It felt like they had traveled all over the state of Georgia and he thought they might have to leave the state and search somewhere else. First and foremost, he really needed to work with Beth on shooting and her aim. After he got her to where she needed to be, then he could work on Carl. Carl wasn't too bad because he had been outside of the prison more than Beth had, killing walkers through the fences.

"We staying another night?" Carl asked.

Daryl nodded, "I s'pose wouldn't hurt nothin'. Looks like rain an' I reckon' we could all use tha rest," He said.

"Sounds good to me. I'm tired of riding," Carl commented.

"I'm goin' out after this an' see if I can't shoot us somethin' for dinner," Daryl told them.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Beth asked softly and he knew she was thinking about the herd that had passed through.

He spooned out the last bite of his oatmeal and set his bowl down beside him on the floor, "I'm quicker by myself an' I would feel a lot better with Carl here with tha two of ya," He said. "I'll be fine," He added.

She stood and began to gather up the empty bowls and take them to the kitchen. He could sense that she was worried about something and he saw from Carl's expression that he saw it too. Daryl picked up his bowl before she could take it and used it as an excuse to follow her into the kitchen where he immediately cornered her, "What's with tha long face?" He asked.

She crossed her arms, "It's nothing," She said.

He frowned, "Never understood why a women say it's nothin' when it's really somethin'," He grumbled.

She cracked a smile at that and then sighed, "I just hate worrying about you that's all. What if something happens?" She asked.

"Ain't nothin' gonna happen. Ya gotta trust that I'm gonna come back," He told her.

"I do. It's other people I don't trust."

"Glad ta see ya have lots o' confidence in my abilities ta hunt," He remarked dryly.

She grinned and then leaned forward until her forehead rested against his, "Daryl? Last night..." She trailed off.

He sucked in a breath. He had known this was coming. He had been too rough with her and now she was turning away from him, "Yeah?" He asked.

She blushed, "I really enjoyed it," She whispered and she bit her lip as she gazed back up into his eyes.

He groaned as he felt himself responding to her confession and he wanted nothing more than to lift her back onto the counter and bury himself inside of her. He would have done it too, if Judith hadn't chosen that moment to begin babbling from the other room, reminding him of why that would have been a bad idea. Instead he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his, grinding himself against her as he kissed her deeply. She responded immediately by wrapping her arms around his neck and swirling her tongue with his.

He pulled back after a few minutes and it took everything he had to do it, "I gotta go. I'll be back by dark 'less I find somethin' sooner. Stay inside an' try not ta make too much noise," He said. He hoped that it wouldn't take him all day. Maybe he would get lucky and find something within a few hours, but he didn't have high hopes. There weren't a whole lot of animals still alive out there and what _was _left was quickly being eliminated.

"Be safe," She whispered behind him as he walked to the door.

* * *

**I don't even know why I put review here, y'all never disappoint! ;) THANK YOU!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hi! Hope everyone is having a great day! We're getting closer to Season 4! I personally can't wait! Don't worry, I'll still continue my fics after it starts, but I can't promise updates on Sundays! LOL! Anyway, thank y'all for the reviews as always!**

* * *

It was nearly dark by the time Beth spotted Daryl heading out of the woods. She handed Judith to Carl and headed outside to meet him. She saw that he was carrying several animal carcasses around his waist. He always reminded her of a caveman with the way he looked after hunting. She smiled at the thought of that as she approached him.

"You made it! Looks like you did pretty well...," She said.

He nodded, "I got us three rabbits an' a couple squirrels. Reckon' that ain't too bad. Gon' eat good tonight," He said.

She followed him around the house as he untied the carcasses and set to work cleaning them. She sat nearby and kept an eye out for walkers as he worked. She held her knife rigidly by her side just in case. She noticed he kept glancing up at her with a smirk on his face and finally she couldn't stand it any longer.

"Why do you keep smirking at me?" She finally asked with a smile.

He shook his head and chuckled, "Ya look like ya ready ta pounce on tha slightest thing that makes a movement," He bit his lip as he sawed through the skin of one of the squirrels and she thought he looked so adorable in that moment. "I need ta teach ya some stuff. You an' Carl both, but we'll start with you," He said.

She blushed at the way he said that. His voice was so dark and rough. It never ceased to make her shiver a little, "Why me?" She asked.

He shrugged and wiped at his face with his arm, "No specific reason I s'pose," He looked up at her with his piercing gaze. "Why? Ya ain't wantin' ta train with me?"

She met his gaze and felt her face grow hot. His eyes were intent on her skin, nearly burning her skin with their gaze, "I was thinking of asking Carl to train me," She said.

He snorted and then smiled at her, "Yer somethin' else," He said.

She laughed, unable to hold the serious expression any longer, "I want you to train me," She said softly.

The air was electric around them as her words penetrated the air. She had a feeling that neither of them were thinking about training anymore. It seemed like they were referring to something else and it was making her hot. She crossed her legs in a weak attempt to find some relief. It didn't help. He finished up a few minutes later and she took the skinned meat while he left to dispose of the skins somewhere else. They didn't need to attract any more walkers.

She hoped they didn't see any walkers at all for a while. She knew it wouldn't happen, but it would be a relief if they didn't. She was so done with always having to look over their shoulder for everything. Life was a constant worry now and she feared it would never get any better. She sighed and entered the house to wash off the meat and figure out how to prepare it.

Carl came into the kitchen with Judith while she was gathering cans to put together a stew. He was rocking the little girl in his arms and in that moment she had a vision of Rick back at the prison doing the same exact thing and she was temporarily paralyzed by the image. He looked so sweet with the little girl in his arms that she almost cried. He was so good with Judith even after everything they had all been through.

Carl glanced up at her, "What?" He asked.

She shook her head, "Nothing. You're just so good with her is all. It's nice," She replied.

His cheeks flushed a deep red, "She's all I have left," He said.

She stopped what she was doing and turned to face him, "How have you been doing? I know we haven't really talked..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say to him.

He shrugged a little, "I'm okay. You and Daryl have your own thing now so I've just been tryin' to keep out of the way," He said.

She felt awful. She knew that she should have talked to Carl before now, but she hadn't really known what to say or _if _she should say anything at all even. She and Carl had been good friends at the prison, but now it seemed like they had grown apart a little. She kind of figured that Carl had somewhat of a crush on her and as sweet as it was, he was just too young and she didn't have the same kind of feelings for him.

She let out a breath as she leaned against the counter, "Daryl and I were kind of a surprise. I suppose we do kind of have a thing, but that doesn't mean that you aren't an important member of this group. I don't want you to feel that it's you and Judith against the world. We're still here and we still care. I'm still your friend Carl and I miss you talking to me," She said.

He shuffled his feet a little and glanced down at Judith who was sleeping soundly in his arms, "I miss talking to you too," He mumbled.

She smiled and put her arm around him. They both stared down into Judith's baby face, "She loves you so much," She said.

He blushed a little more, "Yeah. I love her too," He said softly.

They stayed there for a moment longer with her arm around him, just standing in a companionable silence. She hoped that they could get back that easy friendship that they had once had. Carl was hardened in a lot of ways, but she knew that somewhere deep inside there was still that boy that he used to be.

* * *

It was late when Beth opened her eyes and the first thing she noticed was that Daryl was missing. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes, scanning the room for his shadowy figure. She frowned when she didn't see him and she stood up and grabbed the flashlight near her sleeping bag. She headed into the kitchen, expecting to find him standing near the window, but he wasn't there either. She started to get worried as she padded down the hallway of the house and began checking the rooms. The last door was cracked open slightly and she pushed it open all of the way and spotted him standing near the bed. He had the window cracked and he was smoking, letting the smoke drift out of the window. He turned as she walked into the room.

"Hi," She said softly.

"Hey," He took a draw from his cigarette and blew the smoke out of the window. He chewed on his thumb as he stood there and she walked over to him, swatting at it playfully.

His hand shot out and he grabbed her wrist gently but firmly. She felt her pulse speed up at the expression on his face and she almost dropped the flashlight. He reached around with his other hand and took it from her hands, turning it off before placing it on the small table beside of the bed. The room was enveloped in darkness and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of their breaths mingling in the night air.

He rubbed his thumb over her wrist, stopping just over her pulse, "Scared?" He asked softly.

She shook her head, "Not when I'm with you," She whispered.

His breath caught and he tugged on her wrist until she fell forward against his chest. She gasped and tilted her chin up, his lips moving down to meet hers. He grazed her lips softly at first, letting go of her wrist so that he could get rid of his cigarette. He tasted of smoke and warmth. She moaned softly and he increased the pressure and intensity, making her a little dizzy. He whirled her around until the backs of her knees were pressed against the bed. He pulled back and she tried to see his expression in the dark.

She knew she was breathing heavily, but she didn't care. She slid herself onto the bed and looked at him, "Please," She whispered.

He made a low noise in his throat and she he walked away to close the door. He was back moments later and he slid his hand up the inside of her jeans so that his fingers caressed her thigh. She shifted to give him more room, but he remained in that one spot, sliding his fingers over the skin there. She reached down to unbutton her jeans, but he placed his hand over hers.

"We ain't got nothin' ta use. Kinda risky ta keep pullin' out," He said.

She growled in frustration and sat up on the bed, "There's got to be something in this bedroom somewhere," She said.

She grabbed the flashlight and began searching the drawers beside the bed. Her search yielded useless junk and she turned to the dresser next. She was determined to find _something_.

He sighed, "I'll keep my eyes peeled fer somethin' tomorrow."

She dug through the clothing in the dresser and her fingers scraped over several foil packets. She shined her light on them and revealed them to be what she had been frantically searching for. She held them up triumphantly. There were only three, but that was more than she had expected. He chuckled at her excitement and then his amusement died as she pushed him back onto the bed. She straddled him and then she paused, not sure quite what to do from this point. She had gotten caught up in the moment. Fortunately he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her lips down to his as he bucked against her slightly. She moaned into his mouth and pulled away to pull her shirt over her head. She reached behind her for her bra and soon she was bare from the waist up. His hands closed over her breasts and she sucked in a breath as the sensations overwhelmed her. She wiggled out of her jeans and panties next.

"Gonna take my clothes off too?" He teased softly.

She paused and bit her lip, considering his suggestion. She shrugged and began unzipping his jeans. She moved down to remove his boots and socks, running her hands over his feet. She reached inside of his jeans as he had done her and ran her fingers over the hair on his legs. He groaned and she smiled as she pulled off his jeans. She stood up and was shocked to find that he had been commando and his erection was standing straight up, hard and ready. He sat up and pulled his shirt over her head before he reached for her and their lips clashed together, hot and heavy with need. She instantly realized that she liked being on top. As they kissed his erection pulsed against the juncture of her thighs and she rocked back and forth slightly, causing them both to pause and suck in a breath. She wasn't really sure what else to do now that she was up there and she fumbled for a moment.

"It's yer rodeo. Do whatever ya want," His voice rang out from the darkness as he seemed to read her thoughts.

She swallowed and leaned forward. She trailed her tongue over his skin and paused to swirl it across his nipple. She bit down lightly with her teeth and he bucked beneath her, his hands coming up to grip her ass.

"Fuck," He hissed through his teeth.

"Too hard?" She whispered worriedly.

"Hell no! I liked it," He admitted.

She smiled and bent down to repeat the action with his other nipple and he groaned. She splayed her hands across his belly and smoothed them over his skin until she paused at his erection. She remembered how he had bucked beneath her last time and she lowered her head to take him in her mouth. He stopped her and flipped them both over so that he was on top. He moved down her body and she lay there trying to get her bearings.

"Wha-," She began to ask, but then he spread her thighs apart and his tongue slipped inside of her.

She sat up and gasped, but he pushed her back down gently with his hands, "Shh..." He said.

She swallowed and as he licked his tongue across her flesh she forgot all about her embarrassment and shock. She let out a low moan and he pressed his mouth harder, sucking a little. Her hand fluttered down to tangle her fingers through his hair as he lapped at her. In a matter of minutes she bucked against him as her orgasm rocked through her. He continued to lick at her until she sunk into the bed, her breath coming out in short pants. He fumbled next to them for the condom and she listened as he tore at the wrapper. Then he was sliding inside of her and she bit her lip at the feel of him moving within her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips up to meet his thrusts. She whimpered a little as he bent and took her nipple in his mouth. He suckled her and then she felt his teeth bite down on her nipple. It wasn't enough to hurt, but it made her gasp and then she came undone underneath him. She clenched her thighs together as she rode the pulsing waves of her orgasm. Seconds later, he followed behind her and his whole body tensed before thrusting into her one last time. He groaned and she could feel the slight throb inside of her as he came.

He pulled out and fell onto the bed beside of her. They were quiet as they lay there and she struggled to keep her eyes open as sleep threatened to consume her. She rolled over and placed her head upon his chest. He didn't pull away from her, but he didn't wrap his arms around her either. She yawned and he nudged her gently.

"Can't go ta sleep here. Gotta get dressed," He said softly.

"Just five minutes," She mumbled.

He chuckled, "Then I'll have ta dress ya cause you'll be asleep by then. Come on," He coaxed gently.

She groaned, but let him pull her up. After they were dressed he lit another cigarette and she stared at him in the darkness, "You coming to bed?"

"In a bit. Gonna stay up a lil' while longer," He replied.

She was disappointed, but she tried not to let it show, "Okay, then. Goodnight," She said.

"Goodnight."

* * *

**Review? :-)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey y'all! Short chapter here! I hope you're still hanging with me! I've got more notes for you at the end! Thanks for those who are still here! What an episode for TWD, huh? It passed by WAY too quickly for me though! ;)**

* * *

They were on their fourth day of being on the road and Beth was tired of it all. It was exhausting to say the least and she was just ready to find somewhere, _anywhere_ to bunker down in before cold weather set in. Judith had been cranky lately and Beth suspected that she was teething. They were all cranky to say the least. She knew Daryl wasn't really sleeping much if at all because he took it upon himself to take over watch during the night. Carl tried to help, but Daryl waved away all offers of help. She knew he was taking on too much, but he refused to listen when either she or Carl tried to get him to rest. It was clearly taking its toll on him and she wished they would find somewhere soon so that he could get some much needed rest.

They were stopped at one of the tourist centers that littered the highway and Beth was looking at the various maps and brochures while Carl and Daryl took turns using the bathroom and Judith slept in the vehicle. She wasn't sure what she hoped to find by looking at the maps that they didn't know already, but she was looking anyhow, hoping something would jump out at her. So far most of the pamphlets she picked up were of no use to them. Things like restaurants, attractions, and hotels weren't going to do them any good. She sighed and picked up another brochure, absentmindedly thumbing through the pages. That was when she spotted it. It was only a flicker of a picture as she flipped through it and she backtracked a little until she came back to it. Her eyes studied the picture, wondering if they could make it work. From the looks of it, it wasn't too far from where they were now and if the information was accurate then it would be perfect for them. She smiled for the first time in days and turned to go find Daryl.

* * *

Daryl leaned against the hood of the vehicle smoking a cigarette. His bow was laid on top of the hood mere inches from his fingers in case he needed to make a quick grab for it. He was watching Beth as she flipped through all of the brochures the place had to offer. She didn't appear to be finding anything useful and he didn't have the heart to tell her she was wasting her time. He sincerely doubted that there would be anything of use in those things that might help them now. He kept quiet though and darted his eyes back and forth to the woods every few seconds where he could just make out Carl's figure.

He was worn out. His body could handle a lot when forced, but this was pushing his limit. He wasn't sleeping at night, choosing instead to remain on watch while the others got their rest instead. He knew he needed sleep, but his body just didn't trust anyone else to wake him in time if something happened. It was inevitable that he would crash soon and then it would take an extreme act to wake him up from the dead sleep he was sure to be in. If only they could find somewhere safe where he could let his guard down just a bit then maybe he could relax a little. So far it wasn't looking promising and they were all getting discouraged and cranky because of it.

He blew out a cloud of smoke and threw his cigarette to the ground, crushing it with the tip of his boot. He looked up as Beth walked over to him with a smile on her face. It had been a while since he had seen her smile and the sight of it caused him to freeze for several moments as he stared at her.

"Hey! Look at this!" Beth exclaimed.

Daryl glanced down at the brochure she was holding and then his eyes flicked over to Carl who was making his way back over to them, "What am I lookin' at?" He asked.

Beth pointed to a picture of what looked like a castle to Daryl, "That!"

He shrugged, "It's a castle. What 'bout it?"

She sighed, "It's called the _Dupont Castle_ and it's actually a house. See?" She pointed at the picture and Daryl leaned in closer to examine it. "There's a fence all of the way around it along with an actual _moat_ that's really a swimming pool. It's even built out of _granite_," She explained.

Daryl studied the picture, almost afraid to get his hopes up. It did look like it might work for them if they could find it and it was still in the shape that the picture suggested. It looked like a smaller version of a castle just like Beth had said. He couldn't see any moats and he was a little worried that the information might be exaggerated a little. He had never heard of anyone wanting to _live_ in a castle, much less out in the middle of nowhere like this appeared to be. They didn't have any other options at the moment and it didn't appear to be too far away so he figured they may as well give it a shot.

He handed the paper to Carl as the boy walked over to stand beside him, "Here. Whatcha think?" He asked. Carl looked surprised that Daryl had asked his opinion, but he studied the paper much as Daryl had a few minutes ago.

"That looks awesome. A real castle?" He asked them both. Daryl nodded and Beth smiled again. Something inside of him felt funny everytime she smiled like that.

"Well I guess it's settled then. We'll give it a try," Daryl said.

"Thank God! I don't think I can sleep in the car another night!" Carl ran around and got inside of the vehicle and Daryl stood up. He let his fingers graze Beth's hip as he brushed past her and he smiled as he heard her suck in a breath.

He really hoped that they weren't just chasing a dream and that this castle turned out to be something useful. He didn't think they could handle much more disappointment.

* * *

It took them almost two hours to get to the castle by the clock on the dashboard of the SUV. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until suddenly it was in front of them and Beth leaned forward to get a better look. Even Carl stuck his head forward so that he was almost in the front seat with them.

"Wow!" Carl said.

"Wow is right," Beth replied.

Daryl stopped the SUV just in front of the fence and put it in park. Beth watched as he opened his door and fired off a couple of shots with his bow, taking down the two walkers that staggered close to the vehicle. He climbed back inside and shut the door, "Alright. We do this smart. Tha gate's shut an' that's a good thing, but we can't assume there ain't no walkers lurkin' in there nowhere. Carl, you can open tha gate an' I'll pull inside. Beth can stay here with Judith an' you an' me will clear tha inside," He said.

Beth was a little nervous about being left in the car again because she remembered what had happened the last time, but they didn't have many other options. She nodded at Daryl, "Alright. Be careful," She said. He glanced over at her and their eyes met, but he remained silent.

Carl hopped out of the SUV to open the gate while Daryl and Beth kept watch for walkers. He tugged on it several times, but it wouldn't open and finally Daryl hopped out to see if he could get it open. Beth watched them struggle for several minutes before they both walked back to the vehicle.

Daryl was breathing hard from his exertion, "Damn thing ain't budgin'. Must be electric or somethin'," He chewed on his thumb as he stared at the gate. Finally he spoke again, "Alright. New plan. We all fuckin' go at once. Ain't leavin' tha two o' ya outside tha gate like sittin' ducks. Never know what kinda asshole might be in tha area. Carl, you an' I will cover Beth an' Jude. We stay _together,_" He emphasized.

"Got it," Carl said. He jumped out and grabbed one of their packs from the vehicle while Daryl glanced at him. Carl shrugged, "It's all the food we have left. Don't want someone to steal it while we're gone," He explained.

Daryl nodded, "Good idea."

Beth opened her door, but Daryl's hand on her arm stopped her. She looked back at him curiously and he tugged her forward so that her lips met his. She was vaguely aware of Carl opening doors and shuffling through bags, but his lips quickly made her forget all rational thought. His tongue slipped just inside of her mouth briefly to tangle with hers and her pulse sped up at the contact. His thumb rubbed over the pulse point on her wrist and she bit back a moan. When he pulled back she stared at him as if he was slightly crazy and he chuckled just a bit.

"Where did that come from?" She asked.

He shrugged as he opened his door and grabbed up his bow, "Jus' seemed right at tha time," He said.

She smiled at him and shook her head, "Daryl Dixon, you are so confusing," She laughed and he smiled slightly at her.

Maybe it was the fact that they seemed to have found a new place that he was in a good mood or maybe it was just Daryl being...Daryl. Either way she could definitely get used to a Daryl who kissed her like that more often. She sighed dreamily as she gathered together Judith and her things. She just hoped that this place panned out and that they could finally settle down a bit. They were _way_ overdue for some rest and relaxation.

* * *

**Okay, I know it wasn't much, but it's been a while since I updated and I was missing this fic! The muse is slow moving right now on this one and I'm sorry about that! I know y'all have been anxious for more and I'm trying! I'm hoping that by writing this little tidbit that I'll jar the muse into working for me again. Don't worry, I'm sure it will come back and I'm going to try to keep plugging away at it bit by bit until it does. Maybe it's because the other fic keeps nagging at me to continue...not sure! Anyway, please accept my apologies and bear with me! I'm still here! **

**Y'all are AWESOME! Thank you!**

**Review?**


	30. Chapter 30

_**Hey y'all! I hope everyone is having a good day! I've had this chapter started for a while and today I pushed myself to finish it. It's not much of anything I'm afraid, but I really hate that I've been leaving y'all hanging so long. It's frustrating as a writer when you get so far in a story and you come to a standstill. I'm working on trying to get my muse going for this fic again so please forgive me. I know it's frustrating as a reader when you find a fic you like and can't finish it because the author doesn't complete it. Thanks to a reviewer for pointing that out to me! I have to remember that. ;-)**_

* * *

The "castle", as the brochure called it only seemed like a castle from the outside. The inside seemed like your average house and Beth quickly fell in love with it as they made sure that it was clear. There were two bedrooms and one full bathroom with a living room and a kitchen. It seemed to be very well taken care of and Beth could tell the owners had put a lot of work into the house. The only walkers they ended up encountering were two and Beth figured they were probably the people who had owned the house. Daryl took them down quickly enough and he and Carl dragged them to the outside to dispose of later. Beth set up a spot on the floor for Judith to play on and went to work on unloading some of their supplies. She glanced out of the window as Daryl and Carl disappeared into the small garage that was attached to the house and minutes later she heard a tapping at the door in the kitchen that connected the two. She opened the door and Daryl pointed to two generators in the corner of the garage. She smiled excitedly at the prospect of having electricity.

"There's two jugs o' gas here too," Daryl said.

Carl jumped up to grab hold of the garage door and pulled it down behind them as they entered into the kitchen. She pointed to the stove, "It's gas. More hot food," She said.

"Hey if we get these generators going that means we can have hot showers," Carl said excitedly.

Beth giggled at the boy's excitement, but she had to admit that a hot shower sounded heavenly, "I'm going to see what I can get started for dinner," She said.

Daryl nodded, "We're gon' make sure all tha windows are secure an' then we'll get ta work on that generator."

"Okay," Beth smiled at him and watched Carl follow behind Daryl as they left the room.

She had watched Carl watching Daryl lately. She knew the boy was fond of Daryl and it was clear he looked to Daryl for guidance a lot. The thought of the two of them bonding together made her smile and she leaned over to give Judith a big smooch on her forehead. Judith giggled and Beth tickled her chin making her laugh. She gave the little girl a toy and set to work going through the cabinets in the kitchen to see if she could find anymore food. She hit jackpot with the last cabinet that she threw open and she stared at the food that crowded the small space. There were a few boxes of macaroni and cheese, grits, Spam, canned vegetables, noodles, and even a jar of spaghetti sauce.

She stared at the cabinet for a moment while she decided what to make. She decided on making spaghetti and gathered the contents together to prepare the meal. It wouldn't have meat, but she figured the sauce and noodles would have to do for now. They had obviously had worse and at least it would be hot and hopefully be enough to quell the hunger pangs. She placed all of the ingredients on the counter and the pots that she would need on the stove. Judith babbled from her spot on the floor and Beth turned to the little girl to make funny faces at her. Judith laughed her little baby laugh and Beth smiled at the girl. She turned back to the stove and patted her pockets before realizing that she had given the lighter back to Daryl. She turned to try and locate them and ran smack into his hard chest.

She gasped and then shoved at him when he smirked at her, "You scared me!" She accused.

He held up the lighter, "Got ta thinkin' ya might be needin' this. Seems like I was right," He said.

She made a grab for the lighter but he was quick and pulled it back out of her reach, "What's it worth to ya?" He asked.

She made a face at him, "Do you want to eat?" She asked.

He raised a brow at her and chuckled; "Now that ain't very nice. I think ya can do better'n that," He teased.

Beth sighed and crossed her arms, "Fine. May I please have the lighter oh great and mighty Daryl?" She asked sarcastically. He opened his hand in front of her that held the lighter. Eyeing him suspiciously, she reached out and took it. She didn't miss the slight spark that passed between them as her fingers grazed his palm. He turned to leave the room and she stood there in confusion. "Where are you going?" She called to him.

He paused, "Goin' back ta work. Was hopin' for a kiss, but missed out," He said over his shoulder.

Beth gaped at him, "Well why didn't you say so?" She said loudly as he rounded the corner and disappeared from her sight.

"Ya didn't ask!" He called back and it grew silent again as his footsteps faded down the hallway.

She shook her head at him and lit the stove to get dinner going. He seemed to be in a really good mood and she hoped that this place would work for them. She hadn't seen him this relaxed and almost happy in a long time. He was also dead tired and even though he tried to hide it, she could see the dark circles shadowing his eyes. She would make sure he laid down to get some rest after they ate even if she had to get Carl to help her.

* * *

"Dammit!" Daryl cursed as he fiddled with the generator. His finger scraped against a jagged edge on the inside of it and he cursed again, "Fuck!"

"Feel better?" Carl asked from next to him.

Daryl snorted and gave a sideways glance to the kid, "Was that sarcasm I jus' heard?" He asked.

Carl smiled and shrugged, "Maybe. Were those curse words _I_ just heard?"

Daryl wiped at his forehead at the sweat that had accumulated there and sat up to look at Carl. He shook his head and reached into his pocket for a cigarette and then sighed as he realized that Beth had his lighter still. He shoved the cigarette back into his pocket and leaned his head against the wall. He considered himself pretty handy with a wrench when it came to a vehicle, but this generator was kicking his ass. He wasn't an electrician nor a magician and he wished like hell he could get the damn thing to work.

"Ya gettin' ta be a smartass now?" Daryl asked Carl.

Carl grinned at him, "Might be. You're a bad influence I guess."

Daryl knew that Carl meant it as a joke but he couldn't help but wonder if he _was_ being a bad influence for the kid. He didn't know exactly how he was supposed to act and he was just now coming to the realization that Carl would be looking to him for guidance now. Daryl could hold his own with a baby like Judith, but with a kid Carl's age he wasn't so sure how to handle that. He studied Carl as they both sat there quietly. The conversation had Daryl wondering how in the hell Rick had been able to handle being a parent during the apocalypse. Daryl wasn't so sure that he could handle it if the world hadn't gone to shit and he was much less sure he could handle it now that it had.

Daryl sighed and wished for the thousandth time that his best friend was still alive. It should have been Rick left here in this world with Carl and not him. Daryl wasn't worthy of this position and responsibility. He would do whatever he could to look after Rick's kids, but that didn't mean he understood it. If there was a God out there like Hershel had said, then Daryl wondered why he was allowing all of this madness to continue. He wasn't sure what he believed in as far as religion went and the with the world being the way it was, it made him doubt that such a God existed even more.

"You think Dad is watching over us?" Carl asked suddenly.

Daryl glanced up at him sharply. He exhaled deeply as he thought about how to answer that question, "I dunno Carl. I think that wherever he is, wherever ya go when ya die that he's watchin' if'n he can," Daryl responded.

Carl nodded thoughtfully as he thought about it, "You believe in God Daryl?"

"Shit kid, what tha hell?" Daryl replied gruffly, then he felt bad when Carl blushed and looked away. Daryl stared over at the wall, "I believe that they gotta be somethin' more out there somewhere an' that hopefully this ain't it for tha rest o' us. Ain't never been much o' a religious person. Why all tha questions?"

Carl shrugged, clearly slightly embarrassed for asking, "I was just wondering. Sometimes...sometimes I talk out loud like I'm having conversations with Dad even though I know he's not there. Do you think that's crazy?"

Daryl shook his head and reached over to ruffle Carl's hair affectionately, "Nah. I think yer Dad would like that."

Carl smiled lightly, "I hope so."

* * *

**_So I know it's not much y'all, but I feel like I owe y'all a chapter. Review me if you're still with me. Thanks so much!_**


End file.
